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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

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http://www.archive.org/details/autobiographyoflOOnortiala 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY 


LEMUEL    NORTON: 


INCLUDING 


An  Account  of  His  Early  Life — Two  Years  in  a  Print- 
ing  Office — Eleven  Years  at   Sea,  in  which   he 
was  twice   Shipwrecked,  and    Experienced 
Several  Narrow  Escapes  from  Death. 


HIS    CHRISTIAN    EXPERIENCE, 


LABORS  IX  THE  GOSPEL  MINISTRY. 


COXCOKD: 

FOGG,   IIADI.EY   &  COMPANY,    TRISTERS, 
1864. 


SK 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1SG1,  by 

LEMUEL    NORTON, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 
District  of  Maine. 


TO     THE    READER 


IIatiko  been  repeatedly  importuned  by  some  of  my  friends 
to  publish  a  Memoir  of  my  life,  and  hoping  that  such  a  book 
may  be  of  some  little  use  to  the  church  and  the  world,  I  hare, 
notwithstanding  the  many  embarrassments  under  which  I  labor, 
endeavored,  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  to  set  before  the  reader, 
in  the  following  pages,  a  brief  narrative  of  my  early  life,  omit- 
ting many  things  that  might  be  of  interest  to  some,  but  not  to 
all  who  might  chance  to  read  this  book,  lest  I  should  weary  the 
patience  of  those  who  have  but  little  time  to  read,  and  in  this 
way  do  them  more  harm  than  good. 

I  have  endeavored  to  tell  no  very  lengthy  stories  in  this  work, 
but  have  been  as  concise  and  brief  as  I  could  and  do  justice  to 
the  subject  under  consideration,  in  all  cases  having  the  most 
sacred  regard  for  truth  and  urbanity. 

Should  the  critical  reader,  after  examining  the  following  pages, 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  there  are  some  things  in  this  book 
that  are  not  worth  the  time  consumed  in  reading  them,  I  would 
only  say  to  such,  as  it  was  said  to  one  in  another  case,  "  Such 
as  I  have,  give  I  unto  thee." 

The  author  barely  hopes  that  this  humble  effort  to  contrib- 
ute something  to  the  glory  of  God's  grace,  in  his  wonderful  care 
over,  and  astonishing  goodness  to,  one  of  the  most  unworthy  of 
all  his  servants,  may  influence  others  to  put  their  trust  in 
Him  who  is  good  to  all,  and  whose  tender  mercies  are  over  all 
His  works. 

The  account  of  my  Christian  Experience  and  call  to  the  Min- 
istry, as  well  as  my  subsequent  labors  in  the  Gospel  Ministry, 


IV  TO    THE    READER. 

are  very  brief  and  very  imperfect,  owing  in  part  to  the  impossi- 
bility of  calling  to  mind  many  important  events  -which  took 
place  in  the  course  of  my  labors,  both  as  an  evangelist  and  as  a 
pastor,  and  also  on  account  of  the  amazing  cheapness  of  the 
book,  the  subscription  pr'ce  being  only  sixty  cents,  which  rend- 
ers it  necessary  to  restrict  the  number  of  pages  to  something  less 
than  two  hundred. 

Not  wishing  to  detain  the  reader  any  longer  with  remarks  like 
these,  I  will  only  add  that  it  is  my  heart's  desire  and  prayer  to 
God,  that  whoever  reads  this  little  book  may,  after  a  careful  ex- 
amination Of  the  book  and  of  themselves,  come  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  it  has,  to  say  the  least,  done  them  some  spiritual  good. 

Go,  little  book,  and  tell  the  world, 
How  far  your  author  went  astray ; 

And  sought  for  happiness  and  joy- 
In  hateful  sin's  delusive  way. 

Go,  tell  it,  also  of  that  grace 
Which  saved  him  from  all  sin  and  woe  ; 

And  sent  him  forth  to  plead  with  men 
To  turn  and  find  salvation  too. 

THIS  AUTHOR. 
Falmouth,  May  17,  1SC2. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 


BIRTH  AND  PARENTAGE— FATHER'S  HOUSE  STRUCK  WITH 
LIGHTNING — ACCIDENT — LAME  F  JOT — ENTERS  THE 
PRINTING  OFFICE — LEAVES  AT  THE  END  OF  TWO 
YEARS 7 

CHAPTER    II. 

GOES  TO  SEA-VOYAGE  TO  THE  WEST  INDIES— SICK  IN 
BOSTON— RETURNS  HOME  AND  SPENDS  THE  WINTER- 
VOYAGE  TO  FRANCE— SHORT  ALLOWANCE  ON  PAS- 
SAGE HOME  — GOES  TO  NEW  YORK  WITH  CAPTAIN 
THOMAS  M'LELLAN  — FROM  THERE  TO  LIVERPOOL 
SECOND  VOYAGE  TO    FRANCE  —VOYAGE  TO  INDIA — 19 

CHAPTER     III. 

VOYAGE  TO  THE  WEST  INDIES-PRESSED  ABOARD  A  MAN- 
OF-WAR— HAS  THE  YELLOW  FEVER— GOES  TO  HONDU- 
RAS—CAST AWAY  ON  THE  COAST  OF  FLORIDA— GOES 
PRIVATEERING— GETS  CLEAR— RETURNS  TO  BOSTON— 
FINALLY  GOES  HOME— ANOTHER  VOYAGE  TO  THE  WEST 
INDIES— LIVERPOOL— WEST  INDIES— DISMASTED  AT  SEA 
—VOYAGE  TO  THE  WEST  INDIES—  LIVERPOOL  AND 
FRANCE— RETURNS  HOME— SPENDS  THE  WINTER— GETS 
MARRIED— MAKES  ANOl  HER  VOYAGE  TO  EUROPE— SICK 
BROTHER Ol 

CHAPTER    IV. 

ONCE  MORE  TO  LIVERPOOL— CAST  AWAY — SHIP  LOST- 
LAST  VOYAGE  TO    SEA 85 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    V. 

EXPERIENCES  RELIGION — JOINS  THE  CHURCH— COM- 
MENCES HOLDING  MEETINGS— LICENSED  TO  PREACH- 
FIRST  TEXT-ORDINATION , 97 

CHAPTER     VI. 

VISITS  VINALHAVEN,  ISLESBOROUGH,  AND  MACHIAS,   137 

CHAPTER    VII. 

MOVES  TO  MOUNT  DESERT— BECOMES  PASTOR  OF  A  BAP- 
TIST CHURCH — REVIVAL  OF  RELIGION — BECOMES  A 
FREE  WILL  BAPTIST— ORGANIZES  CHURCHES  IN  THE 
VICINITY  OF  MOUNT  DESERT— MOVES  TO  MONTVILLE— 
PURCHASES  A  FARM— PREACHES  SOME  AND  FARMS  IT 
SOME — EXPERIENCES  A  LOSS  OF  CHILDREN  AND 
WIFE 137 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

REMOVES  TO  SOUTH  MONTVILLE— LOSES  ANOTHER  DAUGH- 
TER—MARRIES A  SECOND  TIME— MOVES  TO  FALMOUTH 
VISITS  PHILADELPHIA— PREACHES  IN  SEAMEN'S  BETH- 
ELS—ADVICE  TO    YOUTH— CONCLUSION 177 


SERMON 187 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF  LEMUEL   NORTON. 


CHAPTER    I. 


I  was  born  in  Edgarton,  Martha's  Vineyard, 
Mass.,  June  2,  1785.  My  parents'  names  were 
Noah  Norton  and  Jerusha  Dunham.  They  were  of 
English  descent,  though  both  were  natives  of  the 
beautiful  isle  above  named.  My  parents  in  .786 
moved  from  Massachusetts  to  what  was  then  called 
the  District  of  Maine.  I  was  at  that  time  the  young- 
est of  six  children.  My  father  beiug  a  house  car- 
penter, found  plenty  of  work  in  this  then  almost 
wilderness  part  of  New  England,  and  took  the  over- 
sight in  building  more  than  fifty  dwellings,  taking 
them  from  the  stump  and  seeing  them  finished.  In 
this  way  he  reared  a  family  of  seven  sons  and  three 
daughters. 

Rev.  Peter  Powers,  Congregationalist,  was  pastor 
of  the  church  of  which  my  parents  were  members, 
and  of  course  we  were  all  thoroughly  taught  the 
doctrine  contained  in  the  Westminster  Catechism, 
which  doctrine  in  those  days  was  considered  by  the 
people  generally  almost  as  sacred  as  the  Holy  Bible 
itself.  • 


8  AUTOBIOGEAPHY    OF 

My  father's  house  at  the  Vineyard  stood  near  a 
small  fresh  pond.  Not  long  before  they  moved  into 
the  Eastern  country  an  incident  occurred  which  I 
will  here  mention,  because  I  may  have  occasion  to 
revert  to  it  again.  A  terrific  thunder  storm  sud- 
denly sprang  up  in  the  night,  and  so  terrible  were 
the  flashes  of  lightning  and  the  rattling  of  the  thun- 
der, that  the  whole  family  were  aroused  and  got  up, 
immediately  after  which,  at  the  request  of  my  moth- 
er, my  father  fell  on  his  knees  and  commenced  pray- 
ing that  God  would  protect  them  during  this  terri- 
ble tempest.  At  this  moment,  while  thus  engaged 
in  prayer,  the  house  was  struck,  the  chimney  was 
cleft  in  two  from  top  to  bottom,  my  mother  was 
knocked  down,  an  infant  in  her  arms  was  thrown 
across  the  room,  the  two-inch  oak  plank  of  which 
the  entry  floor  was  made  was  shivered  into  kindling 
wood,  and  every  pane  of  glass  in  the  house  was 
broken,  so  that  the  house  was  made  a  mere  wreck. 
Strange  as  it  may  appear,  in  all  this  fearful  catas- 
trophe no  lives  were  lost,  though  it  was  weeks  be- 
fore my  poor  mother  got  entirely  over  this  terrible 
shock. 

But  to  return  and  speak  of  myself.  The  first 
event  of  my  life  that  I  can  now  call  to  mind,  of  any 
special  interest,  is  that  of  hearing  a  sermon  preached 
by  the  Rev.  Daniel  Merrill,  of  Sedgwick,  (Orthodox,) 
when  I  was  about  twelve  years  of  age.  This  was 
in  the  town  of  Brooksville,  then  a  district  in  Castine, 
county    of    Hancock.      This    discourse    affected   me 


LEMUEL    NOBTOX.  9 

exceedingly,  young  as  I  was — so  much,  that  as  soon 
as  I  returned  home  I  retired  by  myself  and  wept 
profusely  ;  and  although  that  sermon  was  preached 
sixty-three  years  ago,  and  is  so  far  back  in  the  dim 
distance,  I  can  distinctly  remember  this  day,  June 
12*  1862,  with  what  awful  solemnity  he  portrayed 
the  miseries  of  the  lost  in  hell. 

This,  however,  soon  wore  off,  and  I  became  as 
mirthful  as  ever,  and  used  to  take  delight  in  show- 
ing to  other  boys  of  my  age  how  much  I  could  ex- 
cel them  in  running,  jumping,  wrestling,  and  such 
like  sports,  which  I  now  consider  to  be  perfectly  inno- 
cent, and,  indeed,  indispensable  to  the  growth  and  de- 
velopment of  children  ;  but,  however,  should  never  be 
indulged  to  excess,  or  at  too  great  an  expense  for  their 
parents,  as  is  frequently  the  case. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  I  was  smart  and  healthy, 
and  could  do  as  much  work  as  my  next  older  broth- 
er, who  was  about  three  years  the  oldest.  At  this 
time  my  father  sent  me  into  the  field  with  my  scythe 
one  morning  to  mow,  and  on  coming  out  where  I 
was  at  work,  observed  that  what  I  had  done  was  well 
done,  only  I  had  not  done  enough  to  make  it  profita- 
ble either  to  him  or  to  myself,  and  in  this  I  perfectly 
agreed  with  him  ;  and  what  was  a  little  singular,  this 
was  the  first  and  the  last  time  I  ever  attempted  to  mow 
a  single  clip  till  after  I  was  twenty-four  years  of  age. 
A  few  days  after  this  little  affair  took  place,  an  acci- 
dent befell  me  which  I  now  think  changed  the  whole 
future  course  of  my  life. 

1* 


10  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

While  chopping  wood  at  the  door,  I  scored  in  a 
stick  which  required  to  be  chopped  off  twice  to  fit 
it  for  the  four-feet  fire-place  in  the  kitchen  (the  stick 
or  log  being  about  ten  inches  through),  and  then 
stepped  over  it  to  stick  my  axe  into  one  of  the  scores, 
I  had  made,  in  order  the  more  readily  to  turn  it 
over,  and  being  a  little  careless  of  how  I  struck,  I 
extended  the  axe  so  far  as  to  hit  the  off  corner  of 
it  against  the  farther  part  of  the  scarf,  which  caused 
the  axe  to  glance  off  a  little — just  enough  to  light 
upon  my  foot  nearest  the  log — and  having  put  ex- 
tra force  to  the  axe  in  order  to  sink  it  deep  into  the 
log,  that  it  might  hold  fast  so  that  I  could  turn  the 
log  over  by  it,  it  made  its  terrible  way  through  shoe 
and  stocking,  flesh  and  bone,  directly  down  through 
the  great  toe  joint  of  my  left  foot.  It  being  very 
warm,  the  very  last  of  June,  and,  withal,  my  blood 
much  heated  by  chopping,  flowed  freely  from  the 
wound,  and  caused  me  to  drop  my  axe  and  make 
for  the  house,  as  fast  as  possible,  on  entering  which, 
my  poor  mother,  seeing  the  blood  flow  so  profuse- 
lv,  became  alarmed  and  cried  out:  "Have  you 
killed  yourself?"  I  told  her  no,  but  that  I  had 
spoiled  my  foot,  which  indeed,  to  some  extent,  proved 
true.  Had  the  axe  gone  clear  through  my  foot,  it 
would,  no  doubt,  after  proper  lapse  of  time,  with 
good  care,  notwithstanding  the  extreme  heat  of  the 
weather  in  July,  have  healed  up  sound.  But  not 
so  ;  it  did,  indeed,  heal  up,  but  not  sound  ;  and  after 
fifteen    days'  suffering,  and   my   foot   having   become 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  11 

nearly  as  thick  as  two  feet,  I  had  to  call  in  a  physi- 
cian and  have  it  opened  from  my  ankle  joint  to  the 
second  joint  of  my  great  toe.  In  twenty  days  from 
the  time  1  struck  this  almost  fatal  blow,  I  was  car- 
ried five  miles  to  Dr.  Mann's  house,  in  Castine  vil- 
lage, where  I  remained  twenty  days  more  under  his 
hands,  during  all  which  time  I  had  the  best  possible 
care  taken  of  me,  not  only  by  the  doctor  and  his 
family,  but  by  the  young  lady  whose  entire  business 
it  was  to  anticipate  my  wants,  and  to  see  that  they  were 
all  supplied. 

At  the  end  of  the  twenty  days  at  the  doctor's, 
my  wound  being  about  healed  and  my  health  being 
otherwise  pretty  good,  the  doctor  thought  it  would 
be  safe  for  me  to  return  home,  though  not  exactly 
as  I  went,  he  having  a  desire  to  let  the  villagers  see 
that  he  had  made  a  cure  of  me,  compelled  me,  or 
rather  insisted  on  my  walking  with  crutches  to  the 
boat  at  the  end  of  Main  street,  in  which  I  was  re- 
ceived and  returned  joyfully  to  my  father's  house, 
where  I  was  gladly  received.  But  notwithstanding 
my  wound  was  about  healed  up.  yet  there  remained 
thirty  days'  more  suffering  for  me  before  I  would 
be  considered  well  My  foot,  not  having  been  ex- 
ercised for  forty  days,  became  entirely  helpless,  so 
that  I  could  make  no  use  of  it  whatever,  not  so 
much  as  to  let  it  rest  on  the  floor  without  being  in 
perfect  agony,  and  when  I  attempted  to  bear  the 
least  weight  upon  it,  it  would  feel  as  though  thou- 
sands  of    hot  needles   were   being    pierced  through 


12  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

and  through  the  whole  of  it.  I  had  become  so  used 
to  going  with  my  crutches  that  it  became  a  kind  of 
second  nature,  and  so  I  moved  on  in  this  way  till 
my  friends  became  almost  discouraged  about  me. 
At  last,  however,  one  morning  when  I  was  about 
rising,  I  overheard  my  father  say  that  he  was  al- 
most discouraged  about  my  ever  walking  again. 
My  mother  also  expressed  about  the  same.  Tbis 
made  me  feel  very  sad,  and  I  determined  that  day 
to  make  some  extraordinary  effort  to  use  my  foot 
again.  Accordingly  after  breakfast,  in  company 
with  my  younger  brother,  I  went  out-  into  the  field 
on  my  crutches  some  fifteen  or  twenty  rods,  stop- 
ped and  turned  round,  looking  at  the  house,  and  a 
thought  struck  my  mind  like  this,  to  take  my 
crutches,  and  one  at  a  time  throw  them  as  far  to- 
wards tbe  house  as  I  could,  and  then  put  clown  my 
foot  and  walk  back  to  the  house,  let  it  cost  me  what-  ' 
ever  amount  of  pain  it  might.  I  made  the  attempt, 
and  succeeded  beyond  all  expectation,  walking  straight 
off  to  the  house,  limping  but  very  little,  and  pick- 
ing up  my  crutches  as  I  went,  the  children  who  were 
with  me  crying  out,  "  See  him  walk  !  Sec  him 
walk  !"  Indeed,  the  whole  family  rejoiced,  but  none 
bo  much  as  myself.  This  put  an  end  to  the  use  of 
crutches  with  me.  I  laid  them  by,  and  have  never 
used  them  since.  In  a  few  days  my  limb  gathered 
strength,  so  that  notwithstanding  I  had  lost  the  use  of 
my  great  toe  joint,  it  having  become  entirely  stiff,  I 
could  walk  several  miles  in  a  day. 


LEMUEL    NORTOX.  13 

About  this  time  a  newspaper  had  just  been  started 
in  the  village  of  Castinc — the  only  village  of  any 
considerable  importance  east  of  Wiscas3et,  in  the 
district  of  Maine.  This  paper  was  then  called  the 
Castine  Gazette  and  Eastern  Advertiser,  David 
Jones  Waters,  Editor,  and  was  at  this  time  the  only 
paper  printed  east  of  Wiscasset  in  Maine.  In  it 
was  an  advertisement  for  an  apprentice,  and  I  being 
about  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  in  other  respects 
answering  the  description  given  in  the  advertise- 
ment tolerably  well,  and  the  physician  saying  I 
could  never  walk  over  five  miles  in  a  day,  it  was 
agreed  on  all  sides  that  I  should  be  a  printer.  And 
accordingly  in  the  Autumn  of  1799  I  went  into  the 
printing  office  and  commenced  type-setting.  A  little 
before  this,  some  young  gentlemen  and  ladies  had 
called  in  to  sec  this  new  establishment  in  their  neigh- 
borhood, and  how  it  was  that  newspapers  are  print- 
ed, and  in  their  passing  round  among  the  cases  of 
type,  or  in  some  of  their  movements,  they  managed  to 
upset  a  caae  of  type  so  that  they  were  piled  all  up  to- 
gether topsy-turvy,  making  what  printers  denominate 
"pi."  It  was  ray  first  work  to  set  these  on  end,  so  that 
they  could  the  more  readily  be  distributed  into  their 
proper  places  in  the  case. 

In  a  very  few  months  I  became  quite  a  proficient  in 
type-setting,  which  business  I  liked  very  much,  because 
it  learned  me  rapidly  how  to  read  and  how  to  spell. 
And  here  let  me  just  say,  that  printers  are  the  best 
spellers  of  any  class  of  people  in  the  world,  lawyers 
themBelves  not  excepted. 


14  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

Here  I  am  now  in  ray  new  relation,  the  youngest 
of  two  apprentices,  the  other,  Ebenezcr  Whitney, 
being  about  nineteen.  And  being  the  youngest,  I 
had  every  week,  on  the  day  on  which  the  paper  was 
published,  to  take  some  seventy-five  or  a  hundred 
under  my  arm  and  pass  through  every  street,  leav- 
ing a  paper  at  every  subscriber's  door,  or  throwing 
it  in  at  the  door.  Nothing  worthy  of  note  took 
place  with  us — everything  moved  on  harmoniously 
until  toward  the  last  of  recember,  when  the  sad 
tidings  of  the  death  of  General  George  Washing- 
ton came  to  our  village.  This  seemed  to  make  every 
one  sad ;  the  whole  nation  was  clad  in  mourning;  we 
all  wore  black  crape  on  the  right  arm  for  thirty  days, 
as  expressive  of  our  grief  for  the  loss  of  the  Father  of 
our  Country,  who  died  December  14, 1799,  aged  sixty- 
seven  years. 

Our  district  of  country  was  so  thinly  settled  in 
those  times,  and  readers  were  so  scarce,  that  notwith- 
standing our  paper  circulated  in  quite  a  number  of 
counties,  our  subscription  list  never  rose  higher,  while 
I  was  in  the  ofiice,  than  from  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
to  eight  hundred. 

Iu  the  winter  of  1800,  my  master  being  short  of 
funds  to  meet  the  demands  made  upon  him  for  pa- 
per, ink,  &c.,  sent  me  up  the  Penobscot  River  with 
bills  against  subscribers  to  the  amount  of  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  Taking  my  journey  on 
horseback,  the  roads  being  very  bad  in  those  days, 
I  passed   up  the   river  as   far  as  Coulliard's  Ferry,  so 


LEMUEL    NOBTOX.  15 

called,  and  crossed  over  on  to  the  west  side  of  the 
river  into  Frankfort,  and  made  ray  way  up  the 
river,  finding  ahout  one  house  to  every  one  hundred 
acres.  In  crossing  what  is  now  called  Kenduskeag 
stream,  my  horse  broke  through  the  ice  just  as  I 
was  making  the  opposite  shore,  which  came  very 
near  costing  me  my  life  and  the  life  of  my  beast, 
too,  and  would  no  doubt  have  done  so  had  he  not 
been  a  very  powerful  beast,  and  by  much  effort  rear- 
ing up  his  fore  feet  on  to  the  ice  and  breaking  it 
down,  we  made  our  way  on  to  terra  firma,  having 
been  thoroughly  drenched  in  the  waters  of  the  Pe- 
nobscot. At  night  I  arrived  safe  at  the  house  of 
General  Crosby,  where  I  found  an  excellent  family 
and  pleasant  home,  right  about  where  the  center  of 
the  city  of  Bangor  now  stands.  In  this  neighbor- 
hood there  might  have  been  a  house  to  every  fifty 
acres — not  more,  certain,  perhaps  not  that.  I  went 
up  as  far  as  Sunkhaze  and  crossed  over  on  the  ice  to 
Eddington,  and  returned  through  Orrington,  Bucks- 
port,  Orland,  and  Penobscot,  to  Castine,  having 
been  absent  about  five  days  and  collected  about  one 
hundred  dollars,  which  was  considerable  in  those 
days.  And  here  I  would  remark  that  there  were 
many  excellent  farms  on  the  margin  of  this  beauti- 
ful river.  About  this  time  Mr.  Waters  was  ap- 
pointed Deputy  Sheriff  of  the  County  of  Hancock, 
and  moved  into  the  jail,  hired  a  housekeeper,  and 
kept  house  in  that  part  assigned  for  the  turnkey. 
This   brought   me    into    close    connection    with    the 


16  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

prisoners,  as  I  had  to  carry  them  their  food  and  pass 
it  in  through  a  square  place  in  the  door  made  for"  that 
purpose. 

Among  the  prisoners  was  one  by  the  name  of 
James  Budge,  a  man  forty-five  years  of  age,  who 
was  brought  down  the  river  from  Bangor,  who 
ewned  a  large  part  of  the  land  on  which  the  city 
now  stands.  This  Major  Budge,  as  he  was  called,  was 
a  notorious  drunkard  and  dangerous  man,  so  much  so 
that  his  wife  swore  her  life  against  him,  and  had  him 
put  in  prison. 

This  man,  by  the  help  of  a  knife  and  a  file,  had 
taken  off  the  sheet  iron  of  the  door  and  dug  a  hole 
almost  through  large  enough  for  him  to  pass  out ; 
this  I  happened  to  discover  by  seeing  a  few  of  his 
scattered  chips  on  the  floor  of  his  cell,  which  led  me 
to  pass  round  outside  of  the  prison,  where  I  dis- 
covered the  whole  work,  where  this  man  had  labored 
for  weeks  till  he  had  got  a  pile  of  hacks  or  small 
chips,  as  large  as  a  winrow  of  hay,  as  much  as  ten 
or  twelve  feet  long,  which  he  had  taken  from  the 
cavity  above  named,  and  would  no  donbt  have  ef- 
fected his  escape  that  night  had  it  not  been  for  the 
two  or  three  pieces  of  fragments  discovered  on  the 
floor  which  led  to  his  detection.  When  the  sheriff 
went  in,  sword  in  hand,  he  was  dreadful  loth  to  give 
•up  and  lose  all  his  labor ;  but  it  was  no  use ;  tho 
glittering  steel  seemed  to  alarm  him,  and  he  finally 
yielded,  to  take  lodgings  in  a  more  secure  abode  for 
the  future,  though  he   looked   fearfully   at  me    as  he 


LEMUEL   N0ET0N.  17 

passed  by,  supposing  that  I  was  his  detector.  Some 
weeks  after  this,  having  greatly  improved  and  be- 
come humble  and  penitent,  his  friends  came  and  car- 
ried him  home  to  Bangor,  where  I  suppose  he  has 
long  since  paid  the  debt  of  nature  and  gone  to  his 
final  resting-place.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  intel- 
lectual powers,  rather  a  good  scholar,  and  some- 
thing of  a  poet;  wrote  a  great  deal, — made  some 
excellent  poetry, — but  rum,  that  demon  rum,  which 
destroys  its  thousands  every  year,  destroyed  him, 
got  the  mastery  over  him,  and  entirely  ruined  him 
for  this  world,  and  probably  for  that  which  is  to 
come. 

Being  rather  of  an  intellectual  turn  of  mind,  I 
enjoyed  the  business  of  printing  very  much,  became 
strongly  attached  to  the  man  with  whom  I  lived,  and 
should  no  doubt  have  continued  with  him,  had  it 
not  been  that  I  had  an  unconquerable  desire  to  see 
more  of  the  world  than  I  possibly  could  while  con- 
fined within  the  walls  of  a  printing  office.  Ships, 
brigs,  and  schooners,  coming  in  from  different  parts 
of  the  world  and  anchoring  in  the  harbor,  within 
hailing  distance  of  our  office,  from  time  to  time, 
greatly  attracted  my  attention,  and  their  splendid 
appearance  with  the  men  and  boys  on  the  yards  and 
at  the  mast-head,  furling  and  sometimes  loosening 
their  sails,  drew  my  affections  quite  away  from  nil 
other  pursuits,  and  I  longed  to  be  a  sailor.  .My 
roving  propensities  overcame  me,  and  I  finally  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  I  would   leave  the  indoor  work 


18  ATJIOBIOGHAPHY    01" 

of  setting  type,  and  go  and  see  what  was  to  be  seen  in 
other  climes  and  in  other  kingdoms. 

In  order  to  gratify  this  insatiate  desire,  which  at 
times  became  almost  unendurable,  the  first  thing  to  be 
accomplished  was  to  obtain  my  freedom,  for  I  was 
bound  as  strong  as  my  indentures  could  bind  me  to 
serve  till  I  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  being  now  but 
sixteen,  and  five  years  still  ahead  to  serve.  This,  how- 
ever, I  accomplished,  by  getting  my  oldest  brother  to 
settle  up  with  Mr.  Waters,  paying  him  all  the  cash 
down  for  my  time,  and  taking  my  notes,  young  as  I 
was,  for  his  security. 

After  settling  up  in  the  above  described  manner  with 
my  master,  for  his  sake,  whom  I  so  much  esteemed, 
and  whom  I  so  well  loved,  I  consented  to  stay  a  few 
months  with  him  and  set  type,  till  he  could  procure 
help  in  this  emergency,  for  emergency  it  was  ;  for  type- 
setters in  those  ^ays  were  hardly  to  be  found  east  of 
the  Kennebec  This  business  being  all  amicably  ad- 
justed, I  packed  what  little  I  had  of  clothing,  together 
with  a  Bible  and  Watts'  Hymns,  and  leaving  my  fath- 
er's house,  went  on  board  the  good  schooner  Polly,  of 
Castine,  belonging  to  Capt.  Joseph  Perkins  of  said 
place,  where  a  berth  had  been  provided  for  me  to  go  as 
cook  to  the  West  Indies. 


LEMUEL   NORTON.  19 


CHAPTER    II. 

Here  was  the  commencement  of  my  sea-faring 
life,  which  began  in  June,  1801.  The  first  few  days 
out  I  was  very  sick,  but  not  at  all  sick  of  the  voy- 
age. I  had  started,  and  I  felt  determined  to  go 
through,  and  know  what  it  was  to  be  a  sailor. 
Nothing  worth  naming  occurred  until  one  day  the 
crew  were  called  upon  to  see  who  could  jump  the 
farthest ;  and  after  a  while  I  was  invited  to  try  my 
skill  in  this  way  for  their  amusement.  After  mak- 
ing several  leaps  as  far  on  the  smooth  deck  as  I 
conveniently  could,  the  captain  and  mate  insisted 
on  my  trying  it  once  more,  which,  to  please  them,  I 
consented  to  do ;  but  while  taking  my  position  for 
that  purpose  they  contrived,  unnoticed  by  me,  to 
throw  grease  on  the  deck  where  they  supposed  I 
should  land,  and  having  made  an  unusual  effort  to 
jump  as  far  as  possible,  and  striking  the  deck  where 
they  had  made  it  slippery,  my  feet  glanced  from 
under  me,  and  I  came  down  with  great  force  flat 
on  the  deck,  hurting  me  considerably,  and  making 
fine  sport  for  them  to  see  how  completely  they  had 
succeeded  in  their  attempt  to  play  this  joke  upon 
me ;  however,  I  picked  myself  up  as  well  as  I  could, 
and  went  about  my  work,  leaving  them  to  their  own 
reflections.  I  do  not  think  they  meant  any  harm 
toward  me,  for  they  were  very  clever  men,  and  al- 


20  AITTOBIOGEAFHY    OF 

ways  kind  to  me,  and  to  all  on  board.  Not  long  af- 
ter this  it  came  into  my  head  to  return  the  joke — in 
a  very  moderate  way,  to  be  sure ;  when  they  were 
all  hands  below  in  the  cabin,  out  of  the  sun,  which 
by  the  way  was  very  hot  in  these  latitudes,  and  it 
being  about  calm,  I  thought  I  would  give  them  a 
sudden  start,  which  I  did  by  violently  hauling  in 
the  shark  hook  which  was  towing  astern  with  a 
piece  of  beef  in  order  to  catch  some  of  these  man- 
eaters  if  possible,  with  which  the  sea  seemed  to  be 
so  abundantly  supplied.  This  gave  them  a  sudden 
start;  on  deck  with  haste  they  came,  and  on  seeing 
the  hook  and  the  beef,  and  no  shark,  they  of  course 
were  not  a  littte  chagrined;  however,  they  put  up 
with  it  better  than  I  expected,  and  returned  below 
to  finish  their  dinner,  while  I  was  whistling  away 
at  the  helm,  a  light  breeze  having  sprung  up  in  the 
meantime.  The  next  joke  worth  naming  was  on 
the  day  we  made  land,  the  Island  of  Martinico. 
After  getting  into  the  latitude  of  this  island,  we 
ran  due  west  a  number  of  days,  with  fair  winds 
and  fresh  breezes.  The  day  we  made  this  island, 
the  captain,  and  mate  too,  inquired  of  me  if  I  did 
not  think  it  a  wonderful  thing  to  find  in  the  midst 
of  the  ocean  so  small  an  object,  to  which  I  rather  in- 
cautiously replied  I  thought  it  was,  but  they  had  been 
considerable  time  looking  for  it.  This,  to  be  sure,  was 
rather  impudent  for  a  boy  of  sixteen  summers  only,  to 
say  to  the  captain  of  a  West  Indiaman ;  and  here  I 
will  only  say  that  I  advise  all  boys  who  may  chance  to 


LEMUEL   NORTON.  21 

lead  this  book,  to  be  very  careful  how  they  speak,  and 
how  they  answer  those  who  are  superior  to  them  in 
years  and  station. 

We   were    soon   safe  moored   in  the   harbor  of  St. 
Piers,   where    our  cargo    of  boards   were   easily  dis- 
posed  of  for   fifty   dollars   per   thousand.     This  was 
a  beautiful   village,  and  the  first  I  ever  saw  except 
my   own   beloved   Castine.      There    were    thousands 
of  sable  Africans  sweating  under  the  heat  of  a  ver- 
tical  sun,  toiling   for   their   white  masters,  who  were 
regaling  themselves   in  the    shade,   and   faring  sump- 
tuously  every   day.     The    first   of   this  colored   race 
who  attracted  my  attention  especially,  was  the  bow- 
man of  a  boat's  crew  that  came   alongside  soon  after 
we   came  to   anchor.     The    chain    attached   to  a  ring 
about   his  neck   was  about  the  size  of  a  common  ox- 
chain,  and   about  four  feet  in  length  ;  the  ring  round 
:iis  neck  was  suitable  for  an  ox-yoke ;  he  rowed  the 
jow   oar,  used   the  boat   hook  to   hold  the  boat,  and 
ceep  it  from  chafing   against  the  vessel,  and  to  shove 
-he  boat  off  when  ordered  to  do   so,  all  of  which  re 
lid   with  the   most  perfect   ease  and   exactness,  not- 
vithstanding   his    ring    and    chain,   a    few    links    of 
vhich    I   noticed   he   contrived   to   hold  up  with  his 
eft   hand    when    he    had    nothing    else    to    do.     The 
ing   was   made   with    a    hinge,   which    would    open 
fide  enough  to  receive  his  neck,  and  then  close  and 
asten   with   a  key.     His   person   had   such  a  dignity 
bout  it,  and   his   whole   appearance   was  such,  that 
made   an   impression   on  my  youthful  heart  never 


22  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

to  be  erased  while  life  shall  last ;  and  now  while  I 
write,  notwithstanding  that  scene  was  presented  to 
my  view  nearly  sixty  years  ago,  it  is  as  fresh  in  my 
memory  as  though  it  had  taken  place  but  a  few 
days  since.  He  was  stout,  portly,  dignified,  and 
manly  in  his  appearance — so  much  so  that  I  was 
led  to  say  to  a  bystander,  "he  looks  like  a  king." 
He  was  so  desirous  of  freedom,  I  was  told,  that  he 
had  ran  away  several  times,  but  was  as  often  caught 
again,  and  had  this  chain  put  on  him  to  prevent  any 
further  trouble  in  that  direction.  I  was  told,  also, 
that  a  fifty-six,  or  some  other  heavy  article,  was  at- 
tached to  this  chain  when  his  work  was  done  at 
night,  to  make  sure  where  he  would  be  found  in  the 
morning.  Here,  for  the  first  time,  I  saw  the  tall 
tamarind  tree,  the  orange  and  the  lime  trees,  the 
pine  apple,  the  plantain,  the  banana,  the  sour  sop, 
and  all  manner  of  tropical  fruits  in  abundance ; 
here,  too,  was  the  beautiful  cane  fields,  in  one  of 
which  I  saw  some  fifty  slaves  (for  this  was  a  land  of 
bondage  then,  though  since  made  free),  all  standing 
in  a  row  with  hoe  in  hand,  all  striking  at  once,  turn- 
ing over  the  rich  and  fertile  soil  (I  believe  there 
were  no  oxen  or  plows  there  then),  and  making  it 
ready  for  the  reception  of  the  seed ;  here,  too, 
were  the  lofty  mountains  and  deep  valleys,  running 
brooks  and  crystal  streams ;  here,  too,  was  the  re- 
freshing sea-breeze — just  as  sure  to  come  as  the 
day;  also  the  warm  zephyr  from  the  mountain-top 
at  night — all  of  which  are  so    exhilarating  and  com- 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  23 

fortable  as  almost  to  make  one  forget  his  own  north- 
ern home,  and  have  a  desire  to  remain  here  forever. 

Our  lumber  being  all  out,  hold  swept  and  made 
ready,  we  commenced  taking  in  our  homeward-bound 
cargo,  consisting  principally  of  molasses,  in  hogs- 
heads, one  of  which  we  lost  the  most  of  on  account  of 
the  cleat  giving  way,  which  held  the  fall  with  which 
we  hoisted  the  cargo  on  board  and  lowered  it  into 
the  hold  ;  this  like  to  have  ruined  the  young  man's 
hands  who  was  holding  on  to  the  fall ;  the  cleat  giv- 
ing away  suddenly,  he  had  no  chance  to  let  go  the 
rope,  but  was  strung  up  some  ten  or  fifteen  feet  in 
the  air,  the  rope  all  the  while  running  through  his 
hands  with  swiftness,  scorching  them  most  fearfully  ; 
the  hogshead  falling  into  the  hold,  out  goes  a  part 
of  the  head  ;  and  the  mate,  springing  into  the  hold, 
called  out  for  a  bucket,  and  dipped  up  molasses, 
bilge  water,  and  the  like,  and  soon  had  the  cask 
full,  coopered  and  stowed  away  as  though  nothing 
had  happened,  except  that  he  put  a  mark  on  it,  so 
that  it  might  be  known  from  other  casks  on  our  arrival 
home. 

Soon  after  this  we  weighed,  and  sailed  again  for 
home,  and  after  a  very  pleasant  passage,  arrived  safe 
in  Castine,  after  an  absence  of  about  eight  weeks. 

Alter  discharging  our  cargo,  which  was  done  in 
a  few  days,  and  handing  over  to  my  brother  what  I 
could  spare  of  the  effects  of  my  voyage,  I  soon  left 
for  Boston  in  pursuit  of  a  voyage,  but  business 
being   very   dull,  I  was   obliged   to  work  about  the 


24  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

■wharves  with  what  were  then  called  lumpers,  at 
loading  and  unloading  vessels,  etc.  This  was  in 
the  autumn  of  1801.  By  eating  too  freely  of  fruit 
I  was  thrown  into  a  fever,  and  being  among  entire 
strangers,  I  suffered  some  for  want  of  proper  care. 
Dr.  Thomas,  to  whom  I  applied  for  assistance,  was 
very  good  to  me,  not  asking  anything  for  his  ser- 
vices, but  Mrs.  Fish,  the  woman  -where  I  boarded  in 
Fore  street,  was  very  hard  with  me,  charging  four 
dollars  per  week  for  my  board  ;  although  I  was 
very  weak  I  always  kept  about  house,  and  had  no 
attention  from  any  one  during  the  long,  wearisome 
nights  I  spent  alone  in  my  chamber.  One  Sunday 
morning  I  walked  away  down  on  to  one  of  the 
wharves,  and  was  so  weak  and  tired  that  I  laid 
do^n  on  the  wharf  to  rest  before  attempting  to  re- 
turn to  the  house,  and  while  lying  there  weak  as  a 
little  child,  a  gentleman  passed  by  to  the  end  of  the 
wharf,  and  on  returning  spoke  to  me,  and  said, 
"  What  are  you  lying  there  for,  you  miserable, 
drunkeu  young  man  ?"  I  replied  I  was  not  drunk- 
en, as  he  seemed  to  think,  but  was  sick,  and  was 
resting  in  order  to  get  strength  that  I  might  walk 
back  to  the  house  where  I  boarded ;  this  was  the 
first  and  last  that  I  ever  saw  or  heard  of  him,  or 
ever  wish  to.  I  thought  ho  lacked  two  things  in- 
stead of  one — that  is  to  say,  Christian  charity  and 
human  kindness. 

After   being   sick  some  three  or  four  months  with 
a  slow  fever,  occasioned  entirely  for  want  of  taking 


LEMUEL    NOBTOX.  25 

proper  care  of  myself  in  relation  to  my  diet,  I  be- 
gan slowly  to  recover.  Soon  after  this  my  broth- 
er, to  whom  I  was  indebted  for  my  freedom,  ar- 
rived in  Boston  from  Liverpool,  who  came  immediate- 
ly to  see  me,  and  glad  I  was  to  see  him  once  more  in 
the  land  of  the  living.  He  put  me  on  board  the  ship 
John  and  Phebe,  of  Castine,  bound  to  Castine,  where 
I  arrived  safe  home  after  an  absence  of  perhaps  five 
or  six  months,  having  accomplished  nothing  except 
this :  I  had  learned  something  of  the  importance  of 
taking  care  of  my  health.  I  spent  the  winter  at 
home,  attended  the  district  school,  and  chopped  my 
father's  firewood,  enjoying  myself  well  among  my  for- 
mer associates. 

In  the  spring  of  1802,  Capt.  David  Larrabee,  who 
married  our  sister,  and  who  was  going  to  France  in 
the  brig  Federal  Volunteer,  wrote  to  my  brother 
and  I  to  come  to  Portland  and  go  with  him, 
which  we  accordingly  did.  We  had  a  pleasant 
passage  out  to  Bayonne,  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay, 
where  we  discharged  our  cargo  of  masts,  spars, 
and  oar  rafters.  This  is  a  very  ancient  city ;  here 
is  the  very  seat .  of  the  French  Revolution  :  here  is 
to  be  seen  the  framework  of  the  old  guillotine,  and 
the  place  about  ten  feet  high  where  the  bodies  of 
those  innocent  victims  were  laid  with  their  heads  on 
the  block,  where  the  terrible  knife  came  down  from 
above  them,  and  severed,  with  one  fatal  blow,  the 
head  from  the  body  of  many  thousands,  simply  be- 
cause they  would  not  become  traitors  to  their  king 
2 


26  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

and  his  despotic  power.  Here,  also,  blood  was 
poured  out  like  water,  and  saturated  the  ground 
all  around  this  infernal  machine ;  here,  also,  may  be 
seen  the  tree  of  liberty,  standing  erect,  and  spread- 
ing its  long  and  beautiful  branches  out  in  every  di- 
rection, as  the  emblem  of  protection  to  all  who 
took  shelter  under  its  shadow.  Streets  lined  with 
beggars  are  met  with  in  this  place  ;  here  is  where  I 
saw,  for  the  first  time,  any  of  this  class  of  human 
beings,  to  whom  I  immediately  gave  about  all  the 
money  I  had,  and  then  felt  as  though  my  heart 
would  break  for  these  poor  suffering  creatures.  I 
returned  on  board  the  brig,  and  asked  the  captain 
for  more  money,  and  when  told  that  I  had  given 
the  most  of  it  to  the  beggars  (which  was  about 
nine  shillings),  he  refused  letting  me  have  any  more 
for  that  purpose.  Here  we  took  in  freight  for  Lis- 
bon, Portugal,  and  on  our  way  stopped  at  a  place 
in  Spain  called  Bilboa,  where  we  took  on  board 
more  freight.  Bilboa  is  at  the  entrance  of  the  Bay 
of  Biscay,  and  is  remarkably  picturesque,  on  ac- 
count of  its  Mountainnesses,  and  when  passing  in 
by  the  fort,  the  soldiers,  with  their  muskets,  on  its 
walls,  seemed  but  little  larger  than  pigeons.  Here 
our  captain  went  to  see  what  is  called  the  bull  fight, 
where  thousands  collect  together  to  see  this  bar- 
barous and  cruel  battle  among  the  brute  beasts, 
where  one  or  more  are  sure  to  lose  their  lives. 
From  this  place  we  sailed  to  Lisbon.  This  is  a 
large    city,  the   largest   and   greatest  place  for  com- 


LEMTTEL    XORTOX  27 

mercial  business  of  any  in  Portuga1.  There  we 
landed  our  freight,  or  rather  put  it  into  lighters, 
■who  took  it  on  shore  for  us,  there  being  no  quays 
here  for  larger  vessels  to  lay  alongside  of  to  discharge 
their  cargoes. 

Deeply  laden  with  salt,  we  left  this  place  for 
Portland,  with  a  very  scanty  store  of  provisions, 
and  had  it  not  been  for  a  small  supply  we  obtained 
of  a  vessel  bound  to  England,  on  the  Grand  Banks, 
we  must  inevitably  have  perished,  or  suffered  ex- 
ceedingly for  the  want  of  food  ;  as  it  was,  we 
cooked  and  ate  the  last  morsel  we  had  off  Seguin, 
ten  leagues  at  sea  from  the  city  of  Portland. — 
Having  a  strong  breeze  and  free,  in  a  few  hours  we 
arrived  safe  into  port,  and  after  a  stormy  passage  of 
almost  continual  head  winds,  in  about  seventy-five 
•lays,  having  been  absent  from  home  about  six  months. 

The  effects  of  this  voyage  enabled  me,  with  what 
I  had  previously  paid  my  brother,  to  square  up  with 
him  with  a  very  small  exception,  which  I  paid  him 
some  four  years  after. 

In  the  fall  of  1802,  having  been  in  Portland  some 
two  or  three  weeks,  I  again,  in  company  with  my 
brother,  concluded  to  take  another  voyage  across 
the  Atlantic  to  Europe.  Accordingly,  we  shipped 
on  board  the  new  ship  Cornelia,  Capt.  Thomas  Mc- 
Lellan  master,  bound  first  to  New  York,  and  thence 
to  Belfast,  in  Ireland.  On  our  way  to  New  York 
we  encountered  a  severe  gale,  and  for  some  purpose 
or  other  we  anchored  off  Long  Island,  not  very  far 


28  AUTOBIOGKAPHY    OF 

north  of  the  Highlands  of  Neversink,  commonly  so 
called ;  here  it  was  very,  rough ;  our  best  bower 
anchor  had  enough  to  do  to  hold  us  from  drifting. 
At  last,  orders  were  given  to  get  the  ship  under  way. 
Preparations  being  made,  we  commenced  heaving 
ahead,  but  before  much  was  accomplished  in  gath- 
ering in  the  cable,  the  post  which  sustained  the  en- 
tire pressure  of  the  polls  that  held  the  windlass,  and 
saved  all  that  was  gained  by  heaving,  gave  way,  so 
far  as  to  let  the  windlass  whirl  round  with  rapid 
force,  and  the  cable,  as  a  consequence,  running  out 
of  the  hawse-hole  with  great  violence.  When  this 
took  place  it  threw  every  man  head  first  over  the 
windlass,  and  broke  and  smashed  to  pieces  nearly 
every  handspike  in  the  windlass,  there  being  some 
eight  or  nine  of  them  in  there  at  the  time.  The  ap- 
pearance of  things  to  me  (who  at  that  time  was  hold- 
ing on  to  what  is  called  the  jig,  and  consequently 
was  not  thrown  over  the  windlass  with  the  others), 
was  most  ludicrous  ;  seeing  the  men  piled  up  there, 
handspikes  smashed  up,  the  captain  crying  out, 
"  All  hands  to  the  stoppers,"  produced  in  me  a  sen- 
sation which  ended  in  loud  laughter,  which  so  pro- 
voked him  that,  had  he  stood  near  me,  I  think  he 
would  have  knocked  me  down ;  but  I  took  care  and 
kept  out  of  his  way  as  much  as  I  could  until  his 
anger  had  abated. 

I  have  named  this  folly  of  mine  that  others  may 
shun  such  an  unwise  and  impudent  course,  for  im- 
pudent it   was,   considering   the   condition   of  things 


LEMUEL    N0ET0X.  29 

around  me.  Another  thing  I  would  mention  as  a 
caution  to  young  men  who  are  about  shipping  to  go 
a  voyage  to  sea :  never  ship  for  able  seamen  until 
you  are  such.  Better  have  two  or  three  dollars  a 
month  less  wages,  than  to  have  full  wages  at  the 
expense  of  harmonv  and  justice. 

Having  been  a  voyage  to  the  West  Indies,  and 
quite  a  lengthy  one  to  Europe,  and  being  consider- 
erable  active  withal,  I  ventured  to  ship  as  an  able 
seaman,  because  I  knew  I  could,  as  the  saying  is, 
knot  and  splice,  hand  reef  and  steer ;  but  I  soon 
found  that  there  were  many  things  to  be  done  on 
board  this  new  ship  that  I  was  quite  unacquainted 
with ;  indeed,  I  ought  to  have  shipped  for  an  ordi- 
nary seaman,  if  not  a  green  hand.  After  this,  the 
sea  gradually  became  smoother,  so  that  we  finally  got 
under  way,  and  soon  arrived  at  New  York. 

Seamen's  wages  at  this  time  being  very  low  in 
New  York,  we  soon  perceived  that  the  captain  was 
not  very  careful  about  retaining  the  good  will  of 
the  crew,  but  had  about  as  lief  they  would  leave 
the  ship  as  not.  Accordingly,  several  of  us  did 
leave,  and  I  among  the  rest,  My  brother,  however, 
remained  and  went  the  voyage. 

Soon  after  this,  I  shipped  on  board  the  good  ship 
Logan,  of  New  York,  Captain  Mason  of  Hudson, 
commander,  bound  to  Liverpool,  laden  with  cotton. 
We  had  a  very  rough  passage  out ;  while  scudding 
before  the  wind,  under  a  close-reefed  main-top-sail 
and  reefed  foresail,  a  sea  struck  the  ship  in  the  stern 


30  AUTOBIOGKAPHY    OF 

with  such  violence  that  it  stove  the  stern  boat  al- 
most into  kindling  wood,  leaving  little  else  but  the 
keel,  stem,  and  stern  port  in  the  davies,  driving  one 
of  the  two  men  at  the  wheel  into  the  main  rigging, 
where  he  caught  hold  of  the  shrouds  and  saved 
himself,  and  making  a  fair  breach  over  the  ship,  so 
that  some  of  the  crew,  who  were  on  deck  at  the 
time,  and  saw  this  fearful  roller  coming,  run  up  the 
fore  rigging  to  avoid  being  engulfed  in  this  fright- 
ful wave,  Immediately  after  the  ship  had  risen  and 
shook  herself  clear  of  this  monster,  by  the  skillful 
management  of  our  experienced  commander,  she 
was  brought  too  under  a  close-reefed  main-top-sail, 
under  which  she  laid  too  like  a  duck,  and  instead 
of  flying  before  wind  and  sea  with  the  greatest  pos- 
sible precipitancy,  like  a  frightened  foe  from  a  pur- 
suing enemy,  she  now,  being  turned  about,  faced 
both  wind  and  sea,  and  rode  out  the  gale  with  al- 
most astonishing  ease  and  safety,  except  now  and 
then  she  would  roll  fearfully,  and  almost  dip.  her 
long  yard  arms  into  the  sea,  as  she  gently  slipped 
from  it  into  the  gulf  beneath. 

Three  days  we  lay  too  as  above  described,  with  a 
fair  wind,  not  daring  to  put  the  ship  before  the  wind, 
on  account  of  the  terrible  violence  of  the  waves  dur- 
ing this  westerly  gale,  or  rather,  hurricane. 

I  have  heard  it  said  that  in  the  winter  of  1802 
thirteen  sail  of  ships  were  lost,  I  think  from  New 
England,  in  attempting  to  cross  the  Atlantic  to 
Europe;    at   any   rate,    it    was    a   terrible   cold   and 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  31 

stormy  winter  ;  we  arrived  safe,  however,  in  Liverpool, 
after  a  passage  of  about  thirty  days. 

Soon  after  getting  safe  into  dock,  the  doctor  came 
on  board  and  innoculated  such  of  us  as  had  never 
had  the  small  pox.  Nine  days  from  this  time  I  found 
myself  suddenly  seized  with  a  violent  pain  in  the 
back  ;  so  severe  was  it  that  I  had  to  quit  work  and 
go  on  shore  up  to  my  boarding  house  ;  for  all  hands 
had  to  live  on  shore  in  this  place,  none  being  allowed 
to  use  fire,  except  in  a  safe  lantern,  with  at  least  half 
an  inch  of  water  in  the  bottom  of  it.  Here  we  had 
to  submit  to  a  law  in  the  custom  house,  which  was, 
under  solemn  oath  to  swear,  with  Bible  in  hand, 
that  we  were  native  born  Americans,  and  then,  to 
make  it  more  sure,  we  had  to  kiss  the  book.  Very 
many  thousands,  no  doubt,  have  kissed  this  same 
Bible,  perhaps  many  of  them  foreigners,  who  had 
never  seen  America  till  they  had  crossed  the  Atlantic. 

The  small  pox  gave  me  rather  a  severe  time  of  it, 
especially  the  symptoms,  which  I  thought  were  more 
painful  than  the  thing  itself. 

We  left  Liverpool  alter  discharging  our  cargo 
and  taking  in  freight  for  New  York,  and  sailed  to 
the  south  till  we  took  the  trade  winds,  which  always 
blow  from  the  East  ;  we  had  a  pleasant  passage 
home,  and  arrived  sometime  in  the  Spring  of  1803. 

Not  long — perhaps  a  few  weeks — after  our  ar- 
rival in  New  York,  I  sought  another  voyage.  This 
was  done  by  going  down  to  the  wharves  and  notic- 
ing what  vessels  had  a  long  pendant  flying  at   their 


32  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

main  royal  mast  head.  This  was  a  signal  that  they 
wanted  hands.  Seeing  a  beautiful  brig  nearly  ready 
for  sea  lying  at  the  end  of  the  wharf,  I  signed  the 
shipping  papers  as  an  able  seaman,  a  position  which 
I  found  myself  fully  able  to  sustain,  and  that  with- 
out difficulty.  This  brig  was  called  the  Mary, 
George  Main,  commander,  and  was  bound  to  Bor- 
deaux, in  France.  This  being  in  the  Summer,  it 
was,  of  course,  a  very  pleasant  voyage.  We  had  a 
few  passengers,  among  whom  was  the  captain's  wife, 
a  New  York  lady  of  much  refinement  and  good 
sense.  We  made  our  passage  to  Bordeaux  in  about 
forty  days.  Nothing  very  special  occurred  on  board 
our  vessel  till  after  our  arrival  in  this  city.  Our 
first  mate  was  some  inclined  to  intemperance,  and 
after  the  captain  and  his  lady  had  taken  up  their 
abode  on  shore,  he  (the  mate)  grew  worse,  so  that 
in  a  few  days  he  became  unfit  for  anything  except 
a  mad -house,  and  was  absolutely  dangerous,  threat- 
ening to  shoot  any  one  who  happened  to  displease 
him.  Things  went  on  in  this  way  for  some  days, 
and  had  it  not  been  that  we  had  rather  a  steady, 
good  sort  of  a  man  for  a  second  mate,  things  would 
have  been  in  a  worse  condition  than  they  were.  The 
captain  coming  on  board  one  afternoon,  discovered 
at  once  that  all  was  not  right,  especially  in  reference 
to  putting  the  cargo  into  the  lighters  that  came 
alongside  to  receive  it.  Bags  of  allspice,  and  other 
valuable  spices,  were  carelessly  handled,  and  broken 
open   and  scattered  about  deck  without  being  sewed 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  33 

tip  and  taken  care  of  as  they  should  have  been. 
This  appearance  of  things,  together  with  some  in- 
formation from  the  second  mate,  so  enraged  the 
captain  that  he  immediately  ordered  Mr.  Kemper 
to  pick  up  hs  things  and  make  ready  to  be  set  on 
shore.  The  boat  was  soon  manned,  and  our  first 
officer — whom  we  all  loved,  being  a  clever  man  and 
well  able  to  do  his  whole  duty  with  honor  to  him- 
self and  profit  to  his  owners  only  when  he  had  taken 
too  much  of  the  accursed  thing — was,  by  the  captain, 
peremptorily  ordered  into  the  boat,  which  order 
he  very  reluctantly  obeyed.  But  remonstrance 
was  of  no  avail.  The  captain  was  inexorable,  and, 
poor  man,  he  had  to  leave  the  brig  in  a  foreign  land, 
among  strangers.  Oh  !  how  I  felt  for  that  poor  un- 
fortunate as  I  helped  pull  the  boat  to  the  shore.  We 
landed  him  on  the  beach  (for  there  are  no  wharves 
there)  and  took  our  leave  of  him  with  saduess.  Oh  ! 
that  cruel  monster,  alcohol,  how  many  strong  men 
have  been  slain  by  it.  Heaven  have  mercy  on  our 
race,  and  hasten  the  day  when  to  make  or  sell  any 
of  thai  body  and  soul-destroying  article  shall  be 
considered  a  crime,  and  the  same  penalty  attached 
to  it  that  there  is  to  the  sale  of  any  other  poison 
with  a  view  to  destroy  life.  Some  few  days  after  this, 
Mr.  Kemper  was  seen  by  some  of  the  crew  on  shore, 
but  I  never  saw  him  after  he  left  the  brig. 

Now  the   duty  of  the  first  officer  devolved  on  the 
second,  which   made   it   harder   for   us  all.     We   got 
on  very  well,  however,  each  one  seeming  disposed  to 
2* 


34  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

do  what  he  could  to.  lighten  the  burden  of  the  second 
mate,  who  now  acted  as  both  first  and  second  officer. 

Bordeaux  is  a  great  commercial  city,  situated  on 
the  western  shore  of  the  river  Gironde,  about  sixty 
miles  from  the  sea.  We  happened  to  be  here  on 
Bonaparte's  birth-day,  when  all  the  shipping  in  the 
river  was  decorated  with  colors  flying  from,  every 
mast  head,  yards  manned,  drums  beating,  cannon 
roaring,  soldiers  marching,  fire-works,  rockets,  by 
thousands,  were  sent  up  sky  high,  etc.,  etc. 

I  feel  it  to  be  my  duty,  in  giving  to  the  world 
a  correct  history  of  my  life,  to  write  not  only  the 
good,  but  also  the  bad,  so  that  the  reader  may  have 
a  fair  and  accurate  account  of  my  whole  life.  And 
in  order  to  do  this,  I  will  here  relate  a  little  affair 
that  took  place  with  me  while  in  this  port.  One 
morning  a  bum-boat  came  alongside  about  break- 
fast time  with  certain  things  for  sale,  among  which 
was  French  brandy.  It  came  into  my  head  to  try 
how  much  brandy  I  could  drink  ;  not  because  I  was 
fond  of  it,  for  I  never  liked  it  half  so  well  as  rum, 
but  somehow  or  other  I  wanted  to  experiment  with 
it,  and  told  the  man  in  the  boat  to  pour  me  out  a 
p  nt  of  brandy,  handing  him  at  the  same  time  a  tin 
pot  to  pour  it  into  ;  this  I  took  and  drank  all  down 
wi  hout  taking  it  from  my  mouth  ;  I  wonder  it  did 
not  strangle  me,  but  it  did  not.  I,  however,  soon 
began  to  feel  stupid,  and  fell  asleep  on  the  forecastle 
under  the  awning  placed  there  to  keep  the  sun  off. 
Here  I  lay,  perhaps  an  hour  or  more,  utterly  uncon- 


LEMUEL    NORTON".  35 

scious,  when  the  first  thing  I  knew  I  found  myself 
being  drenched  from  head  to  foot  with  water  from 
the  draw-bucket  in  the  hands  of  the  mate.  I  im- 
mediately picked  myself  up  as  well  as  I  could,  and 
went  about  my  work,  net  a  little  astonished  that  I 
should  feel  so  little  affected  by  such  a  fearful  dose 
of  cogniac.  Many  a  t  me  have  I  thought  of  the 
awful  presumption  of  that  hour,  and  I  now  think 
that  Divine  compassion  interposed  in  my  behalf  and 
influenced  the  mate  to  throw  that  water  upon  me, 
thus  counteracting  the  influence  of  the  strong  drink, 
and  so  saved  me  from  an  awful  death.  Since  that 
time  I  have  had  no  partiality  for  brandy. 

"While  lying  in  Bordeaux  we  painted  our  beautiful 
brig  all  over  new,  so  that  she  wa~  about  the  hand- 
somest vessel  in  port. 

The  time  now  arrived  when  orders  came  to  bend 
the  sails  and  get  ready  for  sea.  These  orders  were 
joyfully  received,  and  as  cheerfully  obeyed,  inas- 
much as  we  had  been  lying  here  quite  as  long  as 
any  of  us  wished  to.  Soon  after  this  we  found  our- 
selves out  on  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  headed  towards 
the  broad  Atlantic.  When  we  came  to  set  the  watch 
(as  it  is  technically  called),  the  captain  inquired  of 
me  if  I  would  consent  to  become  the  second  mate, 
as  we  had  none,  and  so  take  charge  of  the  starboard 
watch,  saying  if  I  did  so  he  would  take  me  into  the 
cabin,  where  I  could  sit  at  the  same  table  with  the 
after-guard,  so  to  speak,  besides  having  three  or  four 
dollars  a  month  added  to  my  wages.  To  all  this  I 
replied  :    "  No,    sir  ;  I  am  the    youngest  seaman  on 


36  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

board,  and  besides  this,  I  have  no  knowledge  of 
navigation  "  However,  I  took  charge  of  his  watch 
and  did  the  best  T  could. 

On  the  homeward  bound  passage  we  had  pleasant 
weather  and  gentle  breezes  from  the  west,  which  oc- 
casioned our  passage  to  be  very  long — I  should 
think  about  seventy-five  days. 

Nothing  worthy  of  remark  took  place  during  the 
passge  that  I  now  recollect,  except  a  difficulty 
which  took  place  between  myself  and  the  steward, 
who  was  as  black  as  the  ace  of  spades.  This  hap- 
pened one  day  at  noon,  or  a  little"  after.  The  cap- 
tain, mate,  and  three  passengers  being  be^w,  and 
the  steward  also,  I  took  it  into  my  head  to  see  what 
was  in  the  galley  that  might  be  toothsome,  having 
noticed  feathers  flying  about  the  hen-coop  the  even- 
ing before  ;  the  very  first  glance  of  my  expectant 
eye  discovered  the  beautiful  leg  of  a  fat  duck,  done 
nicely  brown,  lying  under  the  cook's  bench  in  a  clean 
blue  and  white  plate.  This  was  too  much  for  me. 
I  could  see  no  positive  reason  why  I  should  not 
have  a  bit  as  well  as  darkey,  whom  I  well  knew  had 
made  the  deposit  for  his  own  tooth.  Rats,  to  be 
sure,  were  somewhat  plenty  below  deck,  but  seldom, 
if  ever,  seen  above  deck  at  noon  day.  All  hands 
being  forward  of  the  windlass  taking  dinner,  except 
the  man  at  the  wheel,  I  secured  the  prize  and  was 
finishing  the  last  sweet  morsel  just  as  Sambo's  head 
hove  in  sight  coming  on  deck.  To  escape  by  frauc 
or  flight  was  impossible — take  it  I  must.  I  kne? 
his  head  was  hard,  and   it  shone  like  a  glass  bottl* 


LEMTJEL   NORTON.  87 

in  the  sun,  but,  as  good  luck  would  have  it,  I  knew 
his  mode  of  warfare,  and  prepared  myself  for  the 
battle.  Along  comes  Cuffee,  anticipating  his  choice 
leg  of  duck  with  much  gusto,  and  stooping  down 
to  see  if  all  was  right  under  the  bench,  starts  back 
with  astonishment  to  see  the  empty  plate — unmoved, 
but  minus  the  choice  leg. 

Now  come  the  important  inquiry  :  "  Who's  been 
into  the  camboose  house  since  steward  been  below  ?" 
"  Why  ?  what's  the  matter,  steward  ?"  "  What's 
de  matter,  ha  ?  de  tief  been  here  and  took  my  din- 
ner." "  Rats,  rats,"  responded  several  voices ;  but 
Sambo  is  not  to  be  put  off  so.  He  puts  the  ques- 
tion most  seriously  :  "  Who  be  dat  rascal  who 
took  my  piece  of  duck  ?"  Norton  now  views  it  but 
fair,  in  order  to  clear  all  the  rest,  to  make  the  fear- 
ful disclosure,  and  acknowledge  that  he  took  the 
duck.  Accordingly  I  observed  that,  passing  by  the 
galley  I  saw  in  a  plate  a  piece  of  duck.  This  was 
enough.  The  die  was  cast,  and  I  must  abide  the 
consequences.  Passing  by  me  as  I  stood  at  the 
windlass,  quick  as  thought  he  grabbed  me  by  the 
two  shoulders  and  brought  his  head  •with  such  force 
against  mine  as  would  have  prostrated  me  on  the 
deck  had  it  not  been  for  the  windlass,  against 
which  I  leaned.  I  now  took  my  stand  back  to  the 
windlass,  facing  the  negro,  who  drew  back  from  me 
some  eighteen  or  twenty  feet,  struck  into  a  run, 
and  when  within  about  four  or  five  feet  of  me, 
would  leap  and  come  head  first  at  me  with  awful 
swiftness.      But    Young    America's    arms    was     too 


38  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

strong,  and  his  fist  too  heavy  for  the  sable  African, 
and  after  three  attempts  in  this  way,  finding  that  a 
blow  from  his  antagonist  against  the  side  of  his 
woolly  head,  at  the  right  time  and  in  the  right  way, 
so  completely  passed  him  by,  giving  the  windlass 
the  privilege  of  receiving  the  butt,  and  finding  the 
rule  in  this  case  to  be,  "  let  the  hardest  fend  off,"  he 
of  course  found  it  did  not  pay,  and  consequently  gave 
over  the  struggle.  In  any  other  way  of  contesting 
our  strength,  I  could  have  whipped  two  of  him ;  but 
his  head  was  his  defense,  and  that  it  was  I  took  care 
to  pass  by  and  let  the  windlass  bring  him  up.  Be- 
fore I  dismiss  this  affair,  let  me  just  say  to  the  reader 
that  negroes  have  thick  skulls  and  strong  necks. 
Beware  of  them,  and  keep  them  in  their  place. 

Arrived  in  New  York  in  the  fall  of  1803,  stopped 
on  shore  a  number  of  weeks,  and  then  took  another 
voyage  for  France  in  the  brig  Friends'  Adventure, 
of  New  York,  bound  for  Bordeaux,  to  which  place 
we  arrived,  not  while  I  was  in  the  brig.  Having 
on  board  a  number  of  French  gentlemen,  who  had 
sold  their  estates  in  the  "West  Indies,  and  were  then 
howeward  bound  by  the  way  of  New  York,  on  ac- 
count of  the  war  then  existing  between  France  and 
England,  we  were  suspected  of  being  French  prop- 
erty ;  consequently,  when  entering  the  British  Chan- 
nel, were  boarded  by  an  English  privateer  and  ta":en 
to  Portsmouth,  in  England,  where  we  were  detained 
— I  know  not  how  long — awaiting  our  trial. 

Portsmouth  is  one  of  the  largest  naval  stations  in 
England,    and   is  generally    thronged   with   men    of- 


T,EMUFX    NORTON.  S9 

war  of  the  largest  class — such  as  are  termed  line- 
of-battle-ships.  Here,  too,  expeditions  are  often  fit- 
ted out  in  time  of  war  in  great  haste.  On  these  oc- 
casions press  gangs  patrol  the  streets  by  night  and 
by  day,  utterly  regardless  of  whom  th'-y  meet,  if 
his  hand  is  hard,  which  they  immediately  ascertain 
by  feeling  of  his  palm.  Whether  he  be  English, 
Dutch,  Spanish,  French,  or  American,  it  makes  no 
difference — away  he  must  go  fro  the  watch-house 
and  be  examined,  and  if  unable  to  prove  his  identity 
or  satisfy  the  recruiting  officer  that  he  is  hot  an 
Englishman,  protection  or  no  protection,  he  the  next 
morning  is  marched  down  to  the  boat  and  taken  on 
board  some  ship-of-war,  and  ere  he  is  aware  he  finds 
himself  on  the  high  seas  in  the  midst  of  battle  and 
war,  surrounded  with  carnage  and  death.  This  was 
certainly  true  in  1803.  Things,  however,  differ  now, 
in  1861.  Jackson,  at  New  Orleans,  behind  the  cot- 
ton-bags, the  war  of  1812,  gave  this  business  a 
terrible  shaking,  so  that  American  seaman,  peace- 
ably walking  the  streets  in  England,  are  not  to  be 
molested  with  impunity. 

Here  in  Portsmouth  and  Gosport  are  any  amount 
of  munitions  of  war — strong  forts  with  their  brist- 
ling cannon,  round,  double-headed,  and  chain-shot, 
together  with  grape  "and  canister  shot  are  here,  with 
vast  magazines  of  powder  awful  to  think  of.  which, 
if  they  should  chance  to  be  ignited,  would,  I  sup- 
pose, shake  these  beautiful  cities  nearly  all  to  piec- 
es. Here  I  was  pressed  three  times  in  one  even- 
ing, and   as   often  eluded  their   grasp,  owing    to  my 


40  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

protection,  which  the  officers,  strange  to  say,  al- 
ways respected  and  let  me  go.  But  I  did  not  like 
this  business,  for  I  knew  not  how  soon  an  expedi- 
tion might  be  called  for  by  the  king,  and  then  if 
pressed  I  might  have  to  go.  Hence  I  concluded  to 
leave  the  brig,  and  make  my  way  to  some  place  of 
greater  safety. 

Being  on  shore  one  evening  in  company  with  soma 
other  sailors,  an  American  captain,  whose  ship  lay 
off  some  ten  or  twelve  miles  from  this,  at  a  place 
called  Cowes,  in  the  British  Channel,  came  into  the 
hotel,  who  wanted  some  two  or  three  hands  to  go 
with  him  to  India.  I  consented  at  once  to  go,  for 
four  pounds  sterling  per  month,  to  China.  Accord- 
ingly next  morning  I  took  my  chest  and  hammock 
into  a  boat  sent  for  the  purpose,  bid  adieu  to  the 
Friends'  Adventure,  and  went  on  board  the  beau- 
tiful ship  Anthony  Mangin,  of  Philadelpha,  bound 
to  China,  Gustavus  Taylor,  commander.  This  was 
a  fine  ship  indeed.  Everything  on  board  was  done 
after  man-of-war  fashion — indeed,  she  in  some  sense 
was  a  man-of-war,  carrying  cannon  in  both  waists, 
and  two  stern  chasers  on  the  taffrail.  We  left 
England  on  the  thirteenth  of  November,  and  ar- 
rived in  Batavia  on  the  nineteenth  of  March,  1804, 
after  a  passage  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
days  ;  and  what  was  a  little  singular,  to  my  knowl- 
edge we  never  saw  but  one  vessel  during  all  that 
passage  across  about  one  hundred  degrees  of  lati- 
tude, and  equally  as  many  of  longitude.  Wo 
sailed  from  fifty  north  to   about  fifty  south    latitude, 


LEMUEL    N0BT0N.  41 

in  order  to  take  the  advantage  of  the  monsoon  trade 
winds,  which  always  blow  south-westerly.  When 
crossing  the  equinoctial  line,  according  to  an  ancient 
custom  we  are  bound  to  have  some  fun.  At  noon, 
when  the  ship  was  exactly  upon  the  line  which  di- 
vides the  northern  from  the  southern  hemisphere, 
she  was  hove  too,  top-gallant  sails,  royals,  and  stay 
sails  furled,  courses  hauled  up,  with  the  after  yards 
thrown  aback,  so  that  the  ship  lay  almost  as  still  as 
a  little  island  in  the  midst  of  the  sea. 

Now  commenced  the  work  of  what  was  called 
shaving.  All  who  had  never  crossed  the  line  before 
were  ordered  below.  A  man,  trumpet  in  hand,  on 
the  farthest  end  of  the  flying  jib-boom,  to  represent 
the  fabled  Old  Neptune,  now  hails:  "Ship  ahoy!" 
"  Hilloa  !"  answers  an  officer  from  the  quarter  deck. 
"  What  ship  is  that,  where  from,  by  whom  com- 
manded ?"  vociferates  the  pretended  Old  Neptune. 
Old  Neptune  is  now  invited  on  board,  with  his  old 
tarpaulin  hat,  and  miserable  old  pea  jacket,  all  cov- 
ered over  with  barnacles,  as  if  he  had  been  for 
months  under  water,  and  begins  to  inquire  if  there 
are  any  on  board  who  have  never  been  this  way  be- 
fore, and  on  being  informed  that  there  are,  has  them 
called  up  from  below,  and  one  after  another  fast- 
ened to  a  gun  carriage,  and  shaved  by  some  one  of 
the  crew  appointed  for  that  purpose  to  officiate  as 
barber.  This  is  done  by  putting  on  the  lather, 
which  is  obtained  from  the  hen-coop,  with  an  old 
tar  brush,  and  then  it  is  scraped  off  with  a  piece  of 
rusty  iron  hoop,  when  several  buckets  of  water  aro 


42  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OT 

thrown  over  the  individual  to  wash  all  off  clean, 
and  then  he  is  prepared  to  join  in  the  sport,  and 
take  a  part  in  shaving  the  others.  The  questions 
put  and  answered  by  each  perhaps  it  will  be  as 
well  not  to  name  just  now,  only  that  each  one  prom- 
ises never  to  row  when  they  can  sail,  never  to  eat 
brown  bread  when  they  can  get  white,  never  to  walk 
when  they  can  as  well  ride,  with  many  other  frivoli- 
ties not  worth  naming. 

We  now  made  sail  again,  but  soon  found  our- 
selves in  what  was  called  the  calm  latitudes,  where 
for  days  and  nights  we  had  not  wind  enough  to  fill 
our  lightest  sails ;  the  face  of  the  sea  as  smooth  as 
glass,  except  the  gentle  rise  and  fall  of  the  broad 
waves,  which  were  occasioned  by  winds  at  a  dis- 
tance. Here  we  lay  some  ten  or  a  dozen  days  and 
nights  almost  entirely  motionless  on  the  bosom  of 
the  great  blue  deep,  with  nothing  to  be  seen  but 
the  clear  blue  sky  above,  and  the  vast  expanse  of 
water  beneath,  with  a  vertical  sun  shining  down  upon 
us  as  hot  as  a  piece  of  iron  that  has  been  lying  very 
near  the  fire. 

At  last,  when  hope  began  to  flag,  and  expecta- 
tion perish,  what  sailors  call  cat's  paws  began  to 
appear  in  the  distance.  Soon  our  light  sails  begin 
to  fill,  all  hands  with  pleasing  emotions  are  looking 
aloft  to  see  the  top  sails  and  top-gallant  sails  flow 
out  from  the  masts  once  more  with  that  mysterious 
something  which  we  call  wind.  Now  our  good 
ship  seems  to  wake  up,  like  one  who  has  been  taking 
a  long  nap,    and   hastens   on  her  journey,   to   mako 


LEMUEL   KOHTOX.  43 

up  for  lost  time.  We  pass  out  by  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  though  not  in  sight  of  it,  into  about  fifty 
south  latitude.  Here  we  took  the  monsoon  trade 
winds,  which,  as  I  said  before,  always  blow  west 
southerly,  and  sometimes  blow  very  strong  breezes. 
At  any  rate  we  found  it  so,  for  after  squaring  the 
yards,  and  keeping  our  ship  away  before  the  wind, 
and  setting  our  studding  sails,  we  found  our  ship 
going  through  the  water  at  the  rate  of  eight  or  nine 
miles  the  hour ;  and  this  she  averaged  for  more 
than  thirty  days,  when  we  made  the  land,  and  were 
glad  once  more  to  see  something  besides  our  own 
solitary  ship,  which  for  months  had  been  about  all 
the  world  to  us.  This  land  proved  to  be  the  Island 
of  Cracato,  on  the  coast  ot  Sumatra.  Passing  by 
this  island,  leaving  it  on  the  left,  we  soon  made  the 
Island  of  Java  on  the  right  hand,  and  entering  in 
between  these  two  head  lands,  we  were  now  in  the 
Straits  of  Sunda,  with  Sumatra  on  the  left,  and  Ja- 
va on  the  right  hand,  the  ship  heading  easterly. 
Passing  one  hundred  miles  up  the  Straits  of  Sun- 
da,  we  found  ourselves  in  shoal  water  opposite  the 
city  of  Batavia,  where  we  moored  our  ship,  having 
accomplished  the  passage  in  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
seven  days,  from  Portsmouth,  in  England,  to  this  land 
of  spicy  breezes. 

Ratavia  is  a  Dutch  colony,  and  a  place  of  much 
trade.  The  land  is  very  low  and  flat,  and  the  wa- 
ter very  bad,  hence  it  is  very  sickly  here,  and  many 
European  and  American  sailors  have  already  laid 
their    bones     here.      Alligators    abound     here,    also 


44  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

monkeys;  baboons,  and  jackals.  The  bohun-upas  tree, 
it  is  said,  grows  in  this  region,  a  tree  so  deadly  poison- 
ous that  no  one  can  with  safety  approach  within  many 
rods  of  it. 

Bank  bills  are  worthless  as  shavings  here  ;  noth- 
ing but  the  precious  metals  pass  current  in  this  city. 
There  are  no  wharves,  and  next  kin  to  no  tides.  All 
cargoes  are  brought  alongside  in  lighters.  Our  ship 
received  a  cargo  of  sugar  and  coffee — sugar  in  bags, 
six  feet  deep  all  over  the  lower  hold,  then  mats  all  ov- 
er that,  then  came  coffee  in  bags,  till  the  lower  hold 
was  filled.  Between  decks  we  had  boxes  of  nutmegs, 
and  other  merchandise  in  abundance,  till  this  large  ship 
was  filled  fore  and  aft  with  a  cargo  worth  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  dollars. 

While  lying  here,  a  Dutch  fleet  of  men-of-war, 
consisting  of  three  line-of-battle  ships,  came  in  and 
anchored  near  us;  one  morning  a  silk  handker- 
chief was  seen  flying  at  our  foretop  gallant  yard 
arm  ;  this  was  a  private  signal  for  the  admiral's  ship's 
boat  to  come  alongside,  which  soon  after  took 
place ;  a  boat  with  several  men  and  officers  came 
alongside,  and  the  officers  came  on  deck,  and  in- 
quired to  know  what  was  wanted.  Several  of  our 
crew  being  Dutchmen,  wished  to  leave  and  go  on 
board  their  own  country's  ships,  notwithstanding 
they  were  men-of-war,  rather  than  remain  and  be 
treated  with  so  much  severity  as  they  were  by  the 
officers  of  our  ship.  This  produced  quite  an  alterca- 
tion between  the  officers  of  the  two  ships,  which  result- 
ed, however,  in  leaving  our  Dutchmen  to  remain  where 
they  were. 


LEMUEL   NORTON.  45 

Our  cargo  now  came  alongside  rapidly.  A  num- 
ber of  Malays  were  employed  in  hoisting  it  on 
board,  while  we,  the  sailors,  were  fixing  the  rigging, 
and  preparing  the  ship  for  her  homeward  bound 
voyage.  These  Malays  are  a  curious  kind  of  peo- 
ple ;  two  of  them  would  hoist  about  as  much  as  one 
American.  They  eat  little  else  but  rice,  and  that 
about  half  boiled ;  this  they  eat  invariably  with  the 
right  hand,  never  using  the  left  to  put  anything  into 
their  mouths.  Spoons  or  knives  they  never  to  my 
knowledge  make  use  of  in  eating.  They  never  sit  on 
anything  higher  than  that  on  which  their  feet  rest ;  in 
fact,  they  seem  to  sit  on  their  feet  as  near  as  I  can  come 
at  it.  Their  clothing  is  a  narrow  strip  of  cotton  (India, 
to  be  sure)  passed  several  times  around  the  body,  and 
coming  up  between  their  legs  and  tying  behind  their 
backs,  completely  covering  them  from  all  indecent  ap- 
pearance to  those  who  are  familiar  with  their  dress. 

Their  hair  is  the  greatest  curiosity  about  them ;  this 
is  most  commonly  shaved  or  cut  off,  except  a  patch 
about  the  size  of  a  small  plate;  this,  though  reaching 
to  their  feet  when  straight,  they  contrive  to  form  into 
a  kind  of  mat,  which  they  place  on  the  top  of  their 
head,  which  answers  instead  of  a  kind  of  skull  cap. 
They  never  shave,  but  pull  out  their  beard  with  tweez- 
ers, a  little  instrument  kept  handy  for  the  purpose, 
which  they  carry  about  the  waist. 

Our  cargo  being  about  all  on  board,  orders  came 
from  the  captaiu  on  shore  to  bend  the  sails,  and  get 
the  ship  ready  for  sea,  all  of  which  was  done  with 
a  hearty   good   will.     Just   as  we   were   about  to  un- 


46  AUTOBIOGEAPIIY    OF 

moor  the  ship,  word  came  from  the  shore  that  our 
good  friend  the  doctor,  who  went  out  as  our  physician, 
had  died  of  the  fever.  These  tidings  were  received 
with  sadness,  for  he  was  a  very  nice  gentleman,  and  a 
good  physician. 

However,  the  captain,  with  all  his  movables,  came 
on  board  the  very  next  day,  and  we  were  once 
more  under  way,  bound  to  Philadelphia,  in  the 
United  States.  Soon  after  leaving  the  Straits  of 
Sunda  a  number  of  our  crew  were  taken  suddenly 
sick,  one  of  which,  the  sailmaker,  died  in  a  very  few 
days.  His  name  was  Daniel  Sherman.  Off  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  we  lost  another  man,  by  the 
name  of  Day ;  near  the  island  of  St.  Helena,  where 
Bonaparte  was  banished,  we  lost  another  of  our 
crew ;  this  was  a  Dutchman,  aged  about  seventy 
years.  He  no  doubt  died  of  the  hardship  of  the 
voyage.  Cruel  as  our  two  mates  were,  they  never 
sent  this  old  sailor  aloft,  but  the  weather  of  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  was  cold  and  boisterous,  too  much  so 
for  one  of  his  years  to  stand  the  deck,  especially  in 
the  night  watches.  These  three  were  buried  in  the 
mighty  deep. 

Our  passage  home  was  long  and  tedious,  partly 
on  account  of  contrary  winds,  and  partly  on  ac- 
count of  bad  usage,  a  great  scarcity  of  water,  and 
want  of  sleep,  never  having  our  watch  below  ex- 
cept when  it  stormed  so  that  we  could  do  nothing 
on  deck.  Our  water  was  all  rain  water,  caught  in  a 
building  in  the  city  for  that  very  purpose,  and  cost 
one   dollar  a   cask  when  brought  alongside.     It  was 


LEMUEL   NOKTON.  47 

good,  but  there  was  not  enough  of  it,  one  quart,  and 
even  down  to  a  pint  and  a  half  for  twenty-four 
hours,  being  for  many  weeks  our  daily  allowance  to 
a  man.  We  had  some  terrible  gales  of  wind  be- 
tween St.  Helena  and  the  West  India  Islands,  spoke 
one  ship  bound  to  Africa,  and  obtained  from  her 
several  hogsheads  of  water.  Soon  after  crossing 
the  line  we  had  a  severe  rain  storm,  and  by  stop- 
ping the  scuppers  filled  all  our  empty  casks  with  wa- 
ter, so  that  we  were  allowed  two  quarts  a  day  for  the 
remainder  of  the  voyage. 

I  have  already  hinted  that  we  were  not  used 
well.  So  far  as  provisions  were  concerned  we  fared 
decently  well,  but  our  treatment  as  men  or  seamen 
v,  as  cruel ;  and  to  make  this  appear  plain  to  the 
reader,  1  will  here  relate  a  circumstance  which  I 
think  will  place  the  matter  before  him  in  unmistak- 
able   plainness. 

Since  commencing  to  write  this  book,  while  over- 
hauling some  old  letters,  I  most  unexpectedly  came 
across  one  fcl  at  I  wrote  fifty-seven  years  ago  to  my 
parents  in  Castine,  while  in  Batavia,  on  this  very 
voyage,  from  which  I  will  make  an  extract.  "  The 
usage  on  board  this  ship  was  very  bad  indeed. 
They  have  had  much  difficulty  in  retaining  their 
men.  Several  of  them  left  in  Amsterdam,  others 
in  England,  and  while  we  are  reefing  the  sails,  the 
first  mate  especially  will  spring  aloft  and  on  to  the 
yards,  and  if  these  men,  foreigners  though  they  are, 
do  not  work  to  suit  him,  will  beat  one  and  kick 
another,  so  that  the  blood  may,  if  ever  we  arrive  in 


48  AUTOBIOGHAPHY   OF 

the  United  States,  be  seen  on  these  top-sails  as  wit- 
nesses against  him."  What  if  they  were  Dutch- 
men, they  had  rights  that  ought  to  have  been  re- 
spected, as  well  as  any  other  men. 

But  they  were  Dutchmen  and  Swedes.  Isaac 
Posin,  the  first  mate,  was  a  slaveholder,  and  liked 
the  work  of  beating  his  brother  man,  and  treating 
him  as  a  brute,  though  possessed  of  a  skin  as  white 
or  whiter  than  his  own.  He  was  used  to  that  sort 
of  business — it  had  become,  a  fixed  habit  with  him. 
It  was  said  by  the  second  mate,  I  know  not  as  to 
its  truthfulness,  that  he  had  killed  one  man  some 
years  before  with  a  handspike. 

It  may  appear  strange  to  the  reader  that  the  ship 
should  pretend  to  be  bound  to  Canton  when  in  fact 
she  was  bound  to  Batavia ;  this  I  never  knew  the 
secret  of,  but  I  have  thought  that  it  might  be  to 
evade  some  clause  in  a  treaty  with  the  French  or 
English  in  order  to  avoid  being  made  a  prize  of  if 
overhauled  by  either  of  these  two  governments,  as 
they  were  then  at  war  with  each  other. 

One  day  the  captain  told  us  we  should  see  land 
in  less  than  four  hours.  This  proved  true,  for  he 
was  a  skillful  navigator  (having  been  sailing-master 
of  a  British  man-of-war),  and  to  our  great  joy,  in 
less  than  two  hours  "  Land  ho  !"  was  cried  out  from 
the  mast-head,  and  sure  enough  there  it  was  in  plain 
sight.  The  main  brace  was  immediately  spliced; 
that  is  to  say,  all  hands  were  called  aft  to  take  a 
drink  of  grog.  New  life  seemed  to  enter  into  ev- 
ery one.     We  had  been  a  long  time  at  sea,  and  it 


LEMUEL    NORTOX.  49 

was  with  sensations  of  joy  that  we  once  more  beheld 
our  own  native  shores  of  America. 

A  day  or  two  after  this  we  anchored  off  New- 
castle, a  handsome  village  on  the  southern  shore  of 
the  riveT  Delaware.  Here  in  a  little  time  both  of 
our  mates  were  missing,  and  on  inquiry  we  were 
told  that  they  had  gone  to  Baltimore  after  money 
to  pay  us  off  with.  The  fact,  however,  proved  to 
be  that  they,  afraid  of  being  arrested  by  some  of 
the  sailors  they  had  abused  on  the  voyage,  had  tak- 
en this  course  to  escape  the  demands  of  justice. 
Here  we  lay  several  days  without  being  permitted 
to  go  on  shore,  any  of  us,  except  the  boat's  crew, 
of  whom  I  happened  to  be  one,  for  we  all  longed  to 
be  on  terra  firma  once  more.  On  the  opposite  shore 
of  the  river  from  the  village  from  where  our  ship 
was  moored,  we  went  on  shore  for  fresh  meat  and 
vegetables,  and  such  was  the  fear  of  the  people  that 
we  were  from  some  sickly  port,  and  that  they  would 
take  some  disease,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  that  we 
could  approach  near  enough  to  a  store  there  was  there 
to  let  them  know  what  we  wanted.  We,  however,  ob- 
tained what  we  wanted,  and  left  the  money  where  they 
directed,  and  returned  on  board  with  a  good  supply  of 
fresh  beef  and  vegetables.  A  few  days  after  we  were 
called  aft  one  at  a  time,  and  paid  off,  all  except  enough 
to  take  care  of  the  ship  until  a  new  crew  could  be  ob- 
tained from  I  hiladelphia. 

On  receiving  my  wages,  the  captain  wished  to 
know   if  I   would   like   to   go   to    Amsterdam   in  the 

3 


50  AUTOBIOGRAPHT    OF 

ship,  that  being  the  place  where  this  valuable  car- 
go was  to  be  landed  ;  I  replied,  "No.  sir,  not  with 
such  usage  as  we  have  received  during  the  late  voy- 
age to  India."  To  which  he  immediately  replied,  "  If 
my  mates  had  not  been  smart  to  make  the  men  do 
their  duty,  I  would  have  driven  them  overboard  them- 
selves." This  remark  led  me  to  suppose  the  mates  not 
quite  so  much  to  blame  as  the  old  fellow  himself  was, 
he  being  a  Scotchman,  and  formerly  sailing  master  of 
an  English  man-of-war. 

We  were  all  landed  at  Newcastle,  and  forbidden 
to  go  up  to  the  city  short  of  forty  days  from  the 
time  we  made  the  land,  on  account  of  our  having 
lost  some  men  at  sea  with  the  fever.  Little  atten- 
tion was  paid  to  this,  and  we  were  soon  in  the  then 
largest  city  in  the  Union.  And  thus  ended  one  of 
the  longest  and  hardest  voyages  of  my  life.  And 
here  let  me  say  that  I  suffered  more  for  the  want  of 
sleep  than  from  any  other  consideration  whatever. 
Never  allowed  Our  watch  below,  as  I  have  already 
said,  in  the  day-time,  and  always  every  night  obliged 
to  be  up  four  or  eight  hours,  and  never  allowed  be- 
low more  than  six  one  night,  and  four  the  next  al- 
ternately. Let  any  one  try  this  for  one  year,  and 
especially  a  youth,  as  I  was,  with  no  exception  but 
the  little  time  in  port,  and  if  they  do  not  find  themselves 
sometimes  walking  the  deck  in  almost  a  profound  sleep 
I  should  be  greatly  mistaken  about  human  nature,  and 
begin  to  think  that  I  was  different  from  most  of  the 
race  in  this  respect.  But  we  will  say  no  more  about 
this  voyage  at  present,  if  we  ever  do. 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  51 


CHAPTER    III. 


In  the  fall  of  1804,  havirg  furnished  myself  with  a 
good  supply  of  clothes,  and  having  attended  school  a 
few  weeks,  and  having  got  rid  of  a  considerable  part 
of  my  money  in  various  ways,  which  it  is  no  use  here 
to  mention,  I  began  to  think  about  taking  another 
voyage  to  sea ;  and  having  found  a  ship  bound  to  the 
"West  Indies,  I  soon  embarked  on  board  the  Con- 
cord, of  Philadelphia,  bound  to  Jamaica,  thence  to 
the  Bay  of  Honduras,  and  thence  to  London,  Cap- 
tain George  Davis,  Master.  Here  I  shipped  for 
twenty-two  dollars  per  month,  having  to  find  my  own 
small  stores,  such  as  tea,  coffee,  sugar,  and  what 
other  little  nicknacks  I  had  a  mind  to  allow  myself. 
This  was  a  very  large  ship.  We  had  a  pleasant 
passage,  a  fatherly  kind  of  a  man  for  a  captain,  good 
officers,  and  a  good  crew  of  well-trained  seamen,  most 
of  whom  knew  their  duty  and  did  it  cheerfully.  Being 
about  all  of  them  Americans,  there  were  peace  and 
harmony  among  us. 

We  arrived  in  Jamaica  all  well,  but  got  our  ship 
on  shore  going  up  the  harbor  to  Kingston,  through 
some  mismanagement  of  the  pilot,  which  cost  us 
a  great  deal  of  hard  labor  in  carrying  out  anchors, 
heaving  in  cables,  etc.  By  the  help  of  other  ships' 
crews,  who  came  to  our  assistance,  we  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  the  ship   off,  and  got  safe  up  to  the 


52  ATTT0BI0GRAFUY    OF 

city,  where  we  landed  our  cargo.  Here  at  Port 
Royal  lay  several  English  men-of-war;  one  was 
called  the  Thunderer,  a  French  eighty-four  gun  ship, 
which  had  been  taken  by  the  English  and  added  to 
their  navy.  This  ship  had  been  out  in  a  hurricane 
and  got  dismasted,  and  they  were  in  want  of  men. 
Being  on  shore  in  the  city  one  Sabbath,  I  was  arrest- 
ed by  a  pres3  gang  and  shut  up  all  one  night  in  one 
of  the  most  filthy  places  imaginable,  together  with 
a  number  of  others,  without  food  or  water  or  any- 
thing else  until  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning,  when 
we  were  huddled  into  the  boat  and  taken  on  board 
the  above  ship.  The  fir^t  thing  that  startled  me  much 
was  the  unexpected  discharge  of  a  thirty-six  pound- 
er close  by  where  I  was  standing.  The  next  thing 
was  the  grum  voice  of  the  boatswain's  mate  order- 
ing all  the  pressed  men  aft  who  had  come  on  board 
that  morning.  Here  was  the  old  fellow  himself,  or 
rather  I  should  have  said  the  admiral,  with  his  three 
cocked  hat,  dressed  in  his  uniform — here  were  the  lieu- 
tenants and  other  officers  of  the  ship — here,  too,  was  a 
band  of  martial  music,  bass  and  other  drums,  fifes  and 
fiddles,  clarionets  and  horns — everything  that  could 
give  grandeur  and  interest  to  the  scene.  After  the 
music  ceased,  we  were,  one  by  one,  ordered  to  our  sev- 
eral stations  on  board  the  ship.  Being  a  youth,  I  was 
sent  into  the  fore-top,  where  I  fell  in  with  a  number  of 
Americans,  pressed  men,  who  for  years  had  been  in 
His  Majesty's  service  against  their  will. 

0»ving   to   the   interposition  of  Divine  Providence, 


LEMUEL    NOBTOX.  53 

as  I  now  think,  I  was  spared  the  fearful  doom  of 
remaining  long  on  board  this  floating  mass  of  moral 
pollution  and  infamy.  At  about  eleven  we  saw  our 
own  captain,  Davis,  come  along  side  and  on  board 
the  ship ;  he  had  our  protection,  and  in  the  most 
dignified,  decisive  manner  demanded  our  release 
from  this  ship,  which,  after  some  altercation  between 
him  and  the  admiral,  in  which  he  was  heard  to  say, 
if  his  men  were  not  immediately  given  up  he  should 
throw  the  ship  on  the  admiral's  hands,  and  write  to 
the  President  the  state  of  affairs  at  Jamaica,  the 
admiral  consented  to  let  us  go. 

One  hour's  smart  tugging  of  the  boatmen  at  the 
oars  brought  us  once  more  to  our  own  ship,  at  whose 
masthead  the  stars  and  stripes  were  floating  in  the 
gentle  breeze.  Never  did  they  look  more  precious 
to  us  than  at  this  moment.  We  felt  as  though  we 
could  cheerfully  die  in  their  defense.  And  even  now, 
though  past  seventy-five  and  almost  seventy-six,  I 
feel  no  small  degree  of  the  same  motion. 

Oh,  how  oft  the  very  sight  of  these  stars  and  stripes 
has  caused  the  British  lion  to  drop  his  tail  and 
shrink  away  into  some  corner  as  though  some  awful 
catastrophe  awaited  him  at  their  approach. 

But  to  my  story,  a  sad  feature  of  which  is  now  at 
hand  ;  for  in  a  day  or  two  after  this,  a  youth,  by  the 
name  of  Marshall,  belonging  in  Philadelphia,  only 
sixteen,  the  youngest  on  board  our  ship,  was  sudden- 
ly struck  down  by  the  yellow  fever,  and  died  in  about 
thirty-six  hours.     We  buried  him  in  the  sand  where 


54:  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

the  ship  lay  taking  in  ballast.  Oh,  how  sad  I  felt  at 
parting  with  that  precious  youth.  The  next  one 
seized  with  this  terrible  disease  was  myself;  then  a 
young  man  by  the  name  of  Cook ;  now  the  doctor 
came  on  board  and  examined  us,  and,  as  I  was  in- 
formed, told  the  captain  that  my  case  was  favorable, 
and  he  thought  I  should  recover,  but  Cook  he  said, 
must  die,  as  his  medicine  could  have  but  little  power 
over  the  fever  where  the  subject  was  habitually  in- 
temperate. And  so  it  proved,  for  Cook  was  soon 
past  all  hope,  and  expired  in  awful  agony.  The  fever 
continued  to  rage  till  every  man  before  the  mast  had 
had  it,  sparing  alive  but  seven  of  the  fourteen  seamen, 
the  most  of  whom  were  in  the  morning  of  their  days. 

After  shipping  some  new  hands,  such  as  could  be 
obtained  to  make  up  the  loss  by  the  fever,  we  were 
soon  on  our  way  again  bound  to  Balize,  in  the  Bay 
of  Honduras.  Here  we  buried  the  last  man  who  died 
with  the  fever ;  his  name  was  Jack  Hutton,  and  he 
was  one  of  the  best  of  seamen.  Oh,  how  loth  we 
were  to  give  him  up !  but  he  must  go  ;  his  fever 
turned  to  the  black  vomit,  which  soon  terminated  his 
earthly  career.  He  died  about  nine  in  the  evening, 
and  was,  like  all  the  others,  put  into  a  coffin  made 
of  rough  boards,  placed  in  the  long  boat,  and  veered 
astern  of  the  ship,  where  he  remained  till  the  next 
day,  when  he  was  taken  on  shore  and  buried.  After 
this  the  ship  was  thoroughly  cleaned,  and  no  more 
sickness  or  death  fell  to  our  lot  during  our  voyage.     • 

In  this  place  we  took  on  board  logwood  and  red- 


LEMUEL    NORTON".  00 


wood  enough  to  fill  the  fore  peak  and  stern  of  the 
ship,  and  then  because  there  was  no  mahogany  there, 
we  had  to  go  to  a  place  called  Golden  River,  on  the 
Spanish  Main,  wliere  the  slaves  had  hewed  and 
rolled  out  to  the  river  a  car:-o  of  mahogany  for  us. 
While  taking  in  this,  we  were  made  a  prize  of  by 
His  Majesty's  ship-of-war  Fly,  Sir  Edward  Peliew's 
son  being  commander.  After  loading  our  ship, 
which  they  wish  us  to  do  because  it  would  in- 
crease the  value  of  the  prize  if  condemned,  and  if 
cleared  we  should  be  ready  to  proceed  on  our  way 
to  Londou,  we  were  all  taken  on  board  the  British 
man-of-war,  and  our  ship  was  manned  with  a  crew 
from  the  frigate.  We  now  joined  the  fleet,  consisting 
of  thirty-three  ships,  all  bound  for  England,  loaded 
with  dye-woods,  mahogany,  etc. 

Nothing  very  alarming  took  place  on  our  passage, 
except  now  and  then  a  man  would  be  brought  to  the 
gang-way  and  flogged  for  some  misdemeanor  or 
other,  I  could  hardly  ever  learn  what,  except  on  one 
occasion,  which  I  will  here  menton  in  order  to  give 
the  reader  some  faint  idea  of  British  tyranny  over 
poor  helpless  seamen  in  their  navy.  The  man  who 
kept  the  fowls,  by  some  acci  lent  or  other,  let  one  of 
them  escape  from  the  hen-house,  when  it  immediate- 
ly flew  overboard.  For  this  carelessness,  if  care- 
lessness it  was,  he  was  brought  to  the  gang-way, 
lathed  to  a  gun,  and  there,  on  his  naked  back,  made 
to  receive  two  dozen  lashes  with  a  cat-nine-tails, 
every  blow  of  which  made   the  blood   fly,  and  caused 


56  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

this  poor  innocent  victim  to  scream  at  the  top  of  his 
voice  with  cries  such  as  would  pierce  the  heart  un- 
less terribly  hardened  in  sin  against  God.  We  tacked 
ship  off  the  Moro  Castle  at  eight  P.  M.,  and  at  twelve 
the  night  following,  found  ourselves  on  shore  on  a 
reef  lying  off  Key  Tabiner,  on  the  Florida  coast. 
The  weather  guns  were  then  thrown  overboard,  a 
constant  firing  of  the  lee  ones  was  kept  up  in  order 
to  alarm  the  fleet,  which  was  a  little  astern  of  us, 
that  they  might  tack  ship  and  escape  the  danger, 
which  they  all  did  except  the  American  ship  out  of 
which  I  was  taken,  and  one  other  ship,  belonging  to 
London.  These  two  were  cast  away  close  by,  in 
sight  of  us. 

Here  we  were,  rolling  and  thumping  fearfully. 
We  soon  cut  away  the  jib  boom  and  all  three  of  the 
top  masts,  after  which  the  ship  lay  quite  still.  Be- 
fore daylight  she  had  filled  up  to  the  mess  deck.  The 
carriage  of  a  gun  thrown  from  the  main-top  killed 
the  sail-maker,  who  happened  to  be  in  the  main  rig- 
ging at  the  time — the  gun  itself  having  been  low- 
ered and  thrown  overboard  a  little  before.  At  day- 
light we  perceived  that  every  ship  had  taken  the 
alarm  and  tacked,  and  stood  off  shore,  not  one  of 
them  being  in  sight. 

At  break  of  day  all  hands  were  called  aft  to  re- 
ceive each  one  a  glass  of  good  West  India  rum. 
This  seemed  to  warm  us  up,  and  we  commenced 
getting  the  boats  of  the  spar  deck  in  readiness  to 
embark  for  the  land,  it  being  about  three  miles  un- 
der our  lee.     Soon,  however,  we  discovered    plenty 


LEMUEL   NORTON.  57 

of  wrecking  vessels  in  the  harbor  getting  under  way 
to  come  to  our  relief.  Some  of  these  were  large 
schooners,  which  came  as  near  as  they  dared  to,  and 
anchored  in  the  edge  of  the  breakers,  and  by  the  help 
of  boats  succeeded  in  getting  us  all  safe  on  shore  ex- 
cept one  poor  old  man  who  was  very  sick.  What  be- 
came of  him  I  never  knew. 

Our  water  and  provisions  were  now  all  submerged 
on  board  the  frigate.  We  were  on  an  uninhabited  isle 
of  the  sea — about  three  hundred  of  us.  We  soon 
commenced  digging  wells,  hoping  to  find  water;  but 
all  in  vain  ;  no  water  except  a  very  little  the  wreckers 
served  out  to  us.  Next  day  the  sea  became  more 
smooth.  Some  of  us  returned  on  board  the  ship,  and 
with  plenty  of  negro  divers,  who  went  down  under  wa- 
ter into  the  hold  of  the  ship,  having  a  rope  first  made 
fast  round  one  leg  to  haul  them  back  by,  when  they 
should  give  the  sign  by  kicking,  we  soon  obtained 
bread,  beef,  and  pork  plenty,  with  some  other  good 
things  that  sailors  are  apt  to  be  fond  of.  But  water 
was  difficult  to  obtain  ;  we,  notwithstanding,  made  out 
to  obtain  enough  to  keep  us  from  suffering. 

We  were  wrecked  on  the  fourth  day  of  March, 
1805,  and  it  was  an  awful  sight  to  see  that  great, 
splendid  6hip,  rolling,  tumbling,  and  surging  in  the 
breakers,  her  yards  flying,  masts  bending,  top-masts 
breaking,  cannon  roaring,  and  everything  in  a  state 
of  confusion.  A  man  needed  strong  nerves  in  order  to 
keep  cool  and  collected  in  the  midst  of  such  a  scene  as 
this. 

3* 


58  AUTOBIOGKAPHT    OF 

We  were  all  busy  for  a  day  or  two  stripping  the 
ship  of  her  sails,  and  whatever  could  as  well  as  not 
he  saved  from  the  wreck,  after  which  she  was  set  on 
fire  and  burned  to  the  water's  edge.  It  was  {-aid  the 
object  in  burning  was  to  prevent  the  enemy  from 
getting  anything  out  of  her.  It  was  a  splendid  sight 
to  see  her  burn,  and  to  hear  the  falling  of  cannon  heat- 
ed by  the  flames,  hissing  as  they  plunged  into  the  gulf 
beneath. 

After  storirg  everything  snugly  on  board  the  wreck- 
ers we  made  sail  for  Nassau,  New  Providence,  where 
we  arrived  in  a  few  days.  Here  I  found  myself 
about  destitute  of  everything  except  what  I  stood 
in,  and  a  little  money  for  present  emergencies,  hav- 
ing lost  chest  and  hammock  on  board  the  American 
ship  out  of  which  I  was  taken.  Finding  nothing  bet- 
ter to  do  in  this  place,  and  no  way  to  get  to  the  United 
States,  I  entered  on  board  of  an  English  privateer 
schooner,  caLed  the  Mayflower,  Captain  George  John- 
son, master,  for  a  six  months'  cruise.  I  received  thir- 
ty dollars  bounty  money,  and  was  to  have  so  many 
shares  of  the  prize  money. 

I  had  forgotten  to  say  that  the  man-of-war  and 
our  ship  Concord  were  bound  to  Jamaica  to  have  her 
trial,  when  we  were  cast  away.  The  trial,  however, 
went  on  the  same  as  though  both  ships  had  arrived 
safe;  our  ship  was  cleared,  and  the  English  govern- 
ment had  to  pay  for  both  ship  and  cargo,  and  all 
other  losses  sustained  on  account  of  her  capture. 
And  here  let  me  sav,  for  the  information  of  the  read- 


LEMUEL    NOItTOX.  59 

er,  that  our  ship  was  taken  because  we  took  in  sticks 
of  mahogany  larger  than  the  treaty  between  the  two 
governments  admitted.  But  then  we  took  it  from  Span- 
ish territory,  and  that  was  why  our  ship  was  cleared  in 
the  Court  of  Admiralty,  holden  at  Jamaica,  where  our 
ship  was  tried. 

We  now  return  to  the  privateer.  This  was  the 
fastest  sailing  craft  that  ever  I  was  in.  I  have  known 
her  to  go  through  the  water  fourteen  miles  an  hour, 
with  a  taut  bowline.  We  had  on  board  seventy- 
five  men,  all  told.  Sixty  of  these,  were  slaves,  and 
belonged  mostly  to  the  captain.  The  remainder  were 
white  men,  officers,  etc.  We  had  two  double  forti- 
fied long  twelve-pounders  on  pivots,  and  a  brass  six- 
pounder  on  the  forecastle,  together  with  about  fifty 
stand  of  small  arms,  to  be  used  by  the  marines ; 
also  boarding-pikes,  hatchets,  and  other  implements  of 
death,  to  be  used  as  best  they  could  be  in  case  of  an 
engagement  with  the  enemy.  We  were  well  prepared 
to  cope  with  any  craft  of  our  size.  And  though  most 
of  our  men  were  slaves,  they  were,  nevertheless, 
smart  and  active  as  any  ot  the  Anglo-Saxon  race. 
The  gunner  and  boatswain  were  both  as  black  as 
Chloe,  but  aside  from  this  they  were  handsome-fea- 
tured and  well-built  men  about  as  I  ever  saw,  and  un- 
derstood their  duty  as  well  as  any  other  men  in  His 
Majesty's  service. 

The  English  were  now  at  war  with  the  French 
and  Spanish.  We  took  many  prizes,  though  mostly 
under  the  American  colors,  some  of  which  were  cleared, 


60  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

being  found  to  be  American  property,  and  some  of 
which  were  condemned,  being  found  to  be  French  or 
Spanish  property. 

We  used  often  to  go  on  shore  on  the  Island  of 
Cuba,  and  plunder  the  inhabitants  by  shooting  down 
some  of  their  cattle,  so  as  to  keep  ourselves  well 
stocked  with  fresh  beef,  vegetables,  etc.,  etc.  Once 
we  run  in  between  two  forts,  where  their  cannon 
could  not  be  brought  to  bear  upon  us,  into  a  narrow 
place  where  there  was  a  little  village,  where  we 
frightened  the  inhabitants  so  it  was  absolutely  amus- 
ing to  see  the  men,  women,  and  children  running  in 
every  direction  through  fear  of  being  hurt  by  us, 
who  had  no  more  disposition  to  harm  them  than  we 
had  to  harm  ourselves.  One  of  their  head  men,  ac- 
companied by  others,  came  down  on  the  quay  where 
our  schooner  was  lying,  with  a  paper  in  his  hand,  writ- 
ten by  an  English  captain  of  a  man-of-war,  forbidding 
any  of  His  Majesty's  subjects  to  molest  in  any  way 
whatever  these  innocent,  unoffending  citizens,  they 
having  been  very  kind  to  some  unfortunate  British 
seamen  who  had  been  cast  away  near  there  some  years 
before.  We  traded  with  them  what  we  wished  to,  and 
then  made  sail  and  returned  from  between  these  two 
forts,  though  not  without  receiving  a  number  of  shots 
from  the  enemy. 

At  another  time  we  were  sailing  down  along  shore, 
perhaps  twenty  or  thirty  miles  southwest  of  Havana, 
and  being  almost  out  of  fresh  meat,  some  half-dozen 
of  us   were  sent   on   shore   with   muskets    and  knives 


LEMUEL    N0BT0X.  61 

to  take  whatever  came  to  hand.  Going  up  the  bank 
into  a  pasture,  we  observed  a  herd  of  cattle,  among 
which  was  a  fat  heifer.  This  we  singled  out  and  put 
two  or  three  balls  through  the  head  at  once,  bring- 
ing her  to  the  ground.  We  off  head  and  out  entrails, 
and  without  stopping  to  take  off  the  hi  Je,  we  cut  her 
into  four  pieces  and  started  for  the  boat.  Just  as 
we  had  got  seated  at  our  oars,  whiz  !  whiz !  came 
the  bullets  from  behind  a  bunch  of  bushes.  This  only 
made  us  pull  a  little  harder v  while  those  not  rowing 
returned  the  compliment  with  some  considerable 
dexterity,  without,  I  should  think,  harming  any  one. 

At  another  time  we  were  off  Havana  just  at  night, 
when  we  discovered  a  Spanish  schooner  at  the  mouth 
of  the  harbor.  Preparations  were  now  made  for  cut- 
ting her  out,  as  it  is  called.  This  is  done  by  sending 
in  boats,  well  manned  and  armed,  for  the  purpose 
of  cutting  the  cable  and  getting  the  vessel  under  way 
after  fastening  the  men  below.  As  soon  as  night  came 
on,  volunteers  were  called  for,  to  man  the  boats  to  go 
in  and  bring  out  the  anticipated  prize ;  but  on  going 
into  the  mouth  of  the  harbor,  we  found  her  lying  a 
little  too  near  the  fort  for  our  safety,  hence  we,  with 
muffled  oars,  returned  without  our  intended  prize. 

At  a  certain  time  we  had  been  lying  too  most  of 
the  night  in  thick  weather,  without  knowing  precise- 
ly where  we  were,  but  as  the  day  dawned  we  found 
ourselves  rather  nearer  the  Moro  Castle  than  was 
desirable.  We  softly  called  all  hands,  and  commenc- 
ed, with  oars  muffled,  to  pull  our  vessel  out  of  the 


62  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OV 

reach  of  their  shot;  but,  before  this  could  be  doue, 
we  saw  the  fiery  flashes  of  their  guns,  and  soon  the 
whistling  balls  came  hissing  by  ns,  sometimes  cut- 
ting off  the  oars  with  which  we  were  pulling  our- 
selves out  of  danger.  Having  about  a  dozen  oars 
on  each  side  of  our  fast  sailing  schooner,  we  could 
row  her  with  ease  four  miles  an  hour  when  there 
was  no  wind,  as  was  the  case  at  this  time,  conse- 
quently we  were  soon  out  of  the  reach  of  our  enemy. 

Off  Havana  at  another  time  one  morning  we  dis- 
covered a  large  schooner,  with  Spanish  colors  flying 
at  the  mast  head,  making  for  the  harbor  with  all 
possible  speed.  We  immediately  gave  chase,  and 
clearing  away  our  bow  chaser,  we  gave  them  round 
shot  till  we  came  quite  near  them.  At  last  they  hove 
too  and  hauled  down  their  colors,  and  we  made  a 
prize  of  them.  It  proved  to  be  a  Spanish  King's 
packet,  from  New  Orleans,  bound  to  Havana.  We 
landed  her  men  near  Havana,  and  sent  the  prize  into 
Nassau,  New  Providence. 

After  this  we  changed  our  cruising  ground  and  in 
company  with  another  small  privateer,  belong  ng  to 
our  captain,  we  went  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mis  issippi 
to  try  our  luck  in  that  vicinity.  Here  we  fell  in  with 
a  schooner  under  American  colors,  which  we  cap- 
tured on  suspicion  of  her  being  French  property. 
How  this  was  I  know  not,  but  one  thing  I  do  know, 
and  that  is,  we  were  glad  to  give  her  up.  How  it 
was  I  know  not,  but  somehow  or  other  the  captain 
of  the   American  cutter  lying   at  Balize,  a  distance 


LEMUEL    N0BT0N.  63 

up  the  river,  got  tidings  of  the  affair,  and  came  down 
and  began  to  pepper  us  with  shot,  so  that  we  were 
glad  to  get  our  men  out  of  the  expected  prize  again, 
and  make  off  with  ourselves  as  fast  as  possible.  Here 
were  two  English  privateers  against  one  American 
cutter,  and  both  of  them  scampering  for  life  to  get 
out  of  the  way  of  Uncle  Sam's  round  shot,  and  I 
was  inwardly  laughing  about  it  all  the  while,  hoping 
they  would  make  a  prize  of  us,  so  I  could  get  clear 
of  them,  for  I  was  quite  disgusted  with  the  business 
of  privateering,  and  had  already  made  up  my  mind 
to  escape  the  first  opportunity. 

On  our  way  back  to  the  coast  of  Florida  we  fell 
in  with  and  captured  a  French  privateer.  This  was 
the  first  and  only  fair  battle  that  I  was  ever  in  on 
the  high  seas.  This  lasted  about  an  hour,  when 
victory  turned  on  our  side,  and  we  boarded  the  en- 
emy and  drove  them  all  below  except  the  wounded, 
who  were  lying  on  the  deck.  We  then  fixed  a  plank 
from  one  vessel  to  the  other,  and  those  poor  souls 
were  made  to  walk  on  board  our  vessel  and  go  be- 
low, where  they  were  all  put  in  irons  for  safe  keep- 
ing till  we  should  have  an  opportunity  to  set  them  on 
shore  or  send  them  home  as  prisoners  of  war. 

In  this  battle  there  was  some  blood  spilt.  One  of 
our  men  was  blown  up  some  ten  or  a  dozen  feet  high 
by  the  premature  explosion  of  a  cartridge  he  was 
ramming  down  at  the  time.  Our  gunsmith  received 
a  ball  through  the  hip  which  disabled  him  forever. 
But  the  most  appalling  sight  was  the  wounded  pris- 


64  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

oners.  One  had  a  grape  shot  directly  through  the 
palm,  taking  away  the  most  of  his  hand ;  another 
had  a  bullet  pass  through  his  breast ;  some  were 
wounded  in  the  legs  so  that  they  could  not  stand.  It 
was  an  awful  sight — such  as  I  never  desire  to  wit- 
ness again,  either  in  this  world  or  in  that  which  is  to 
come.  We  did  the  best  we  could  for  the  comfort  of 
the  wounded  prisoners  till  they  were  sent  to  the  hos- 
pital ;  how  it  fared  with  them  after  that  I  never  knew. 

We  lay  most  of  one  night  with  our  matches  lighted 
and  burning,  expecting  every  moment  to  be  fired  into 
from  a  vessel  we  had  seen  just  at  dusk  the  evening 
before.  Owing  to  thick  weather,  this  vessel  loomed 
up  and  appeared  to  be  of  some  account  ;  but  what  was 
our  chagrin,  when  in  the  morning  we  discovered  it  to 
be  nothing  but  a  small  fishing  smack  which  we  had 
been  standing  in  such  fear  of  during  the  night. 

A  privateersman's  life  is,  of  all  occupations,  the 
most  wretched.  If  I  must  go  into  this  kind  of  busi- 
ness, let  me  go  on  board  a  first  rate  line-of  battle- 
ship ;  then  there  is  no  fear  of  any  one  ship,  let  it  be 
what  it  may.  Not  so  with  the  privateer ;  everything 
alarms,  and  we  are  always  fearing  a  superior  force. 

After  being  in  this  miserable  business  about  two 
months,  I  was  sent  in  prize-master  of  a  Spanish 
schooner  we  had  captured,  merely  to  clear  some 
point  in  the  law,  because  it  was  contrary  to  law  for 
a  colored  man  to  have  charge  of  any  vessel  of  war 
in  those  days,  so  that  I  merely  answered  as  a  sub- 
stitute  for  a  prize-master.     Having   arrived   safe  in 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  €5 

port  with  our  prize,  and  having  to  wait  here  till  the 
Mayflower  should  come  in,  I  took  it  into  my  head  to 
look  for  some  other  employ. 

I  soon  found  a  vessel — one  of  those  very  ones  that 
we  had  shortly  -before  taken — having  been  bought 
by  a  French  gentleman,  who  wanted  to  ship  hands 
for  New  Orleans.  Accordingly  I  sold  my  prize  mon- 
ey for  just  what  I  could  get,  to  a  merchant  in  Nassau, 
giving  him  a  power  of  attorney,  bo  that  it  became  his. 
I  bade  adieu  to  privateering,  and  embarked  on  board 
this  craft,  to  go  first  to  Exumar,  take  in  a  cargo  of 
salt,  thence  to  Havana  in  Cuba,  and  then,  under 
American  colore,  to  go  to  New  Orleans,  When  I 
first  went  on  board  this  vessel,  I  saw  in  the  cabin  with 
the  captain  a  youth,  who,  he  informed  me,  was  his 
son.  This  I  never  called  in  question  on  our  voyage 
to  Havana.  Went  to  Exumar,  one  of  the  Bahama 
islands,  took  in  our  cargo  of  salt,  and  then  was  wind- 
bound  a  number  of  days,  during  which  time  we  lived 
mostly  on  what  is  called  conchs — there  being  no  in- 
habitants on  this  island,  we  could  get  no  supplies  of 
provisions.  We  at  last  got  out  of  this  lonely  place 
and  got  to  another  island,  where  there  was  a  wealthy 
slaveholder  living,  where  we  got  some  corn,  which  we 
had  to  grind  ourselves  in  order  to  have  some  bread. 
This  we  did  with  two  stones  about  the  size  of  com- 
mon grindstones,  the  upper  one  of  which  we  whirled 
round  by  means  of  a  stick  inserted  in  it  near  the  edge. 
Having  ground  our  corn  and  got  some  other  provis- 
ions, we   went   on   board   and   got   under   way   once 


66  A.UTOBIOGBAPHY    OF 

more,  heading  for  Havana.  On  our  passage  thither 
we  had  moderate  wvather  and  smooth  sea,  except 
we  had  to  reef  topsails  once ;  in  doing  which,  as  I 
passed  out  on  the  yard-arm,  I  accidentally  knocked 
a  Spaniard's  hat  off  his  head,  which  had  a  consider- 
able quantity  of  cut  tobacco  and  paper,  all  ready 
for  making  cigars  after  their  fashion.  This  all  went 
overboard  together,  which  so  enraged  the  man,  that 
after  our  sails  were  reefed  and  he  had  liberty  to  go 
below,  I  saw  him  sharpening  his  knife,  which  anoth- 
er Spaniard,  who  could  speak  a  little  English,  told 
me  to  beware  of,  as  he  had  no  doubt  he  intended  to 
be  avenged  on  me  for  the  loss  of  his  hat,  etc.  This 
alarmed  me  some,  knowing  the  revengeful  disposi- 
tion of  the  Spaniard.  For  several  nights,  when  it 
was  my  watch  below,  I  used  to  lie  down  on  deck 
near  the  wheel,  where  the  man  at  the  helm  could 
arouse  me  if  he  saw  danger  approaching.  We  soon 
after  this  arrived  at  Havana,  and  there  became 
friendly  to  each  other.  Still  I  had  no  inkling  to  sail 
with  Spaniards,  especially  as  we  had  a  Frenchman 
for  our  captain,  none  of  them  being  able  to  under- 
stand me  or  I  them  very  well.  Instead  of  the  cap- 
tain's son,  a  young  lady  came  on  deck  and  went  on 
shore  in  the  boat  with  the  captain.  Once  after  this, 
one  afternoon,  she  came  off  in  a  boat,  with  a  view 
to  come  on  board,  which  the  captain,  with  some  very 
hard  words,  prevented,  so  with  the  boatman  she  re- 
turned, with  her  eyes  full  of  tears.  This  was  the  last 
I  ever  saw  or  heard  of  her.  Shortly  after  this,  a  sai- 
lor belonging  to  a  Boston  ship,  one  night,  in  attempt- 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  67 

ing  to  go  on  board  his  vessel,  fell  overboard  and  was 
drowned.  Hearing  of  this,  I  concluded,  if  the  captain 
desired  it,  to  take  his  place,  which  I  accordingly  did, 
and  was  soon  on  my  way  to  Boston.  We  had  a  good 
passage  home,  and  I  found  it  very  pleasant  to  be  among 
ray  own  countrymen  once  more. 

After  arriving  in  Boston,  and  seeing  some  of  my 
old  acquaintances,  andN  especially  my  old  friend 
Waters,  the  printer,  whom  I  found  here,  I  began  to 
think  about  going  back  to  Philadelphia,  to  get  my 
wages  for  services  rendered  on  board  the  ship  Con- 
cord, previous  to  her  being  cast  away  on  the  coast 
of  Florida,  as  I  have  before  stated.  Having  found 
a  packet  sloop  bound  directly  there,  I  put  my  things 
on  board  ready  for  a  start  the  first  wind.  Captain 
Constant  Norton,  a  distant  relative,  commanded  this 
vessel,  and  had  been  in  this  business  for  years.  Prov- 
idence, however,  seemed  to  order  it  so  that  I  should 
not  go  to  Philadelphia  just  now,  for,  falling  in  with  a 
brother-in-law  of  mine  in  the  street,  he  insisted  so 
hard  on  my  going  home  to  see  my  friends,  and  withal 
telling  me  how  overjoyed  my  poor  mother  would  be  to 
see  me,  that  I  finally  yielded,  and  consented  to  let  the 
wages  go  for  the  present,  and  so  took  passage  with  him 
and  went  home  to  Castine,  to  my  friends  and  parents, 
in  the  fall  of  1805,  after  an  absence  from  them  of  about 
three  years  and  a  half,  they  having  never  heard  from 
me  during  ;.ll  that  time  but  twice,  and  I  having  never 
heard  from  them  at  all. 

My  return  was  not  precisely  like  that  of  the  prod- 


68  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

igal's,  because  I  was  well  clothed,  etc.,  but  I  carried 
nothing  away  with  me,  and  returned  with  but  little, 
having  been  cast  away  and  repeatedly  robbed  of  part 
of  what  I  had,  by  land  sharks  and  others,  who  stand 
ready  to  take  every  possible  advantage  of  the  inexpe- 
rienced and  uninstructed.  There  was  joy,  however,  in 
my  father's  house  ;  they  were  glad  that  one  of  their 
number  who  had  been  so  long. absent,  and  who  they 
had  but  very  little  expectation  of  ever  seeing  again, 
had  returned  safe  and  sound. 

After  visiting  old  friends  and  acquaintances  for 
some  few  weeks,  I  once  more  entered  the  district 
school  for  a  season,  where  I  made  good  progress  in 
my  studies,  seeing  that  we  had  an  able  teacher.  After 
being  at  home  some  months,  and  the  school  having 
closed,  and  after  doing  up  some  work  for  my  father,  I 
began  to  feel  like  taking  another  voyage  to  sea.  Ac- 
cordingly, I  shipped  on  board  the  ship  Ruthy,  of  Lin- 
colnville,  bound  to  Havana,  a  vessel  commanded  by 
Capt.  Samuel  Bullock  ;  my  brother,  Phineas  Norton, 
being  first  mate.  When  about  to  sail  I  took  good  care 
and  sent  my  father  some  money,  to  remunerate  him  for 
board  while  going  to  school. 

January,  1806.  We  are  now  on  our  way  to  the 
West  Indies,  and  the  vapor  is  so  thick,  the  weather 
being  exceedingly  cold,  that  it  is  difficult  finding  our 
way  down  the  Penobscot  Bay  ;  we,  however,  got  to 
sea  without  much  difficulty,  and  in  a  few  days  across 
the  gulf,  where  the  water  is  so  warm  that  we  choose 
to  go   barefooted   except   when  we  go  aloft.     We  ex- 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  69 

perienccd  nothing  remnrkable  on  the  outward  bound 
passage  except  that  the  weather  was  so  fine  and  so 
moderate  that  we  had  no  occasion  to  reef  a  topsail 
or  furl  a  top-gallant  sail.  One  catastrophe  we  experi- 
enced, which  I  ought  to  name  ;  it  may  serve  as  a  cau- 
tion to  some  one  who  may  chance  to  read  this  book. 
In  passing  over  the  Bahama  Banks,  by  steering  too 
southerly  a  course,  we  got  into  shoal  water,  where 
our  ship  found  herself  unable  to  proceed  further 
without  being  lightened  of  a  part  of  the  cargo,  which 
was  thrown  overboard  and  lost.  And  after  carrying 
out  anchors  and  heaving  in  cables  for  some  twenty- 
four  hours,  we  finally  succeeded  in  getting  into 
deeper  water,  and  so  proceeded  on  our  voyage, 
without  any  farther  annoyance  till  we  arrived  safe 
in  Havana.  We  went  up  to  a  place  called  the 
Regulars,  where  we  discharged  our  cargo,  which 
consisted  of  pine  boards  to  make  sugar  boxes. — 
These  boards,  some  of  them,  had  ice  on  them  so 
thick  that  it  remained  on  them  till  the  negroes  took 
hold  of  them  to  draw  them  out  of  the  water,  they 
being  carried  on  shore  in  large  rafts  ;  these  darkies, 
wheu  they  felt  the  cold  ice  as  they  took  them  under 
their  arms,  would  cry  out  most  piteously,  not  know- 
ing what  it  meant,  having  never  handled  any  ice 
before. 

The  Ilavana  is  a  very  sickly  port  indeed,  but  we 
were  all  blest  with  good  health  during  the  entire 
voyage.  I  have  heard  it  said  that  there  are  as  many 
cannon  mounted  here  in  and  about  this  harbor  as 
there  are  days  in  a  year. 


70  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

We  took  in  a  cargo  of  molasses  and  sugar,  and 
started  for  Castine,  at  which  place  we  arrived  after  a 
stormy  passage  of  about  forty  days. 

My  venture  consisted  of  a  barrel  of  honey,  which 
turned  very  well  in  Castine,  being  purchased  by  the 
same  good  doctor  who  doctored  and  cured  my  foot 
so  many  years  before. 

After  remaining  on  shore  a  short  time,  and  enjoy- 
ing social  intercourse  with  friends  and  neighbors,  I 
took  another  voyage  to  sea  in  the  brig  Vigilant,  be- 
longing to  James  Crawford,  Esq.,  of  Castine.  This 
was  a  good  vessel,  excepting  one  fault  she  had,  that 
she  was  one-sided ;  not  in  the  same  wav  that  some 
people  are  in  regard  to  politics,  but  this  vessel  was 
made  so  from  the  beginning.  She  was  built  so.  One 
bow  was  much  fuller  than  the  other — one  man  timber- 
ed out  one  bow  and  went  away,  and  another  came  and 
timbered  out  the  other,  hence  the  difference.  On  one 
tack  she  would  lay  to  most  completely,  but  on  the  oth- 
er not  at  all. 

We  arrived  in  Liverpool  after  an  excellent  pas- 
sage of  only  twenty-five  days,  during  which  a  com- 
mon yawl  boat  would  have  been  perfectly  safe,  so 
far  as  wind  or  sea  was  concerned.  In  Liverpool  I 
fell  in  with  some  of  the  crew  of  the  ship  Concord, 
about  which  I  have  had  occasion  to  say  so  much ; 
they  asked  me  I  had  been  to  Philadelphia  after 
my  wages.  I  said  no  They  said  they  had,  and 
were  honorably  paid  off;  that  they  had  no  doubt 
but  that  I  should  be,  if  I  would  take  the  trouble  to 
go.     I  told  them   I   thought   I   should   when   I   had 


LEMUEI,   NOBTON.  71 

leisure.  But  more  of  this  hereafter.  Here  we  board- 
ed on  shore,  not  (as  I  have  already  observed)  being  al- 
lowed the  use  of  fire  on  board  the  vessel  except  in  a 
safe  lantern  with  water  in  the  bottom  of  it.  We  fared 
well  here,  having  plenty  to  eat  and  drink  of  that  which 
tfas  good  and  wholesome. 

Here  again  I  saw  an  old  sea  captain,  with  whom 
I  had  had  such  a  time  some  years  before  on  our 
way  to  New  York.  Now  the  boot  was  on  the  other 
leg.  From  being  a  boy  I  had  become  a  man  ;  he 
had  gained  nothing,  I  had  gained  much,  to  say  the 
least,  in  physical  force,  and  when  I  met  him  on  the 
quay,  one  -.isrespectful  look  of  the  eye,  one  unpleasant 
word  from  his  lips,  and  he  would  have  found  himself 
assuming  a  horizontal  position  a  little  sooner  than  he 
would  have  cared  to. 

Our  cargo  of  lumber  was  soon  out,  and  we  again 
took  freight  for  Castine,  On  our  homeward  bound 
passage,  off  the  Western  Islands,  we  encountered  what 
is  sometimes  termed  a  white  squall,  such  a  one  as  none 
of  us  had  ever  seen  before. 

We  were  standing  along  with  a  moderate  breeze 
from  the  southeast,  our  top-gallant  sails  furled,  all 
other  sails  set,  heading  about  west  southwest ;  at 
eight  A.  M.,  the  wind  began  to  veer  to  the  south  and 
west,  with  drizzly  rain.  I  had  the  care  of  the  cap- 
tain's watch  on  deck,  and  happened  at  that  moment 
to  be  at  the  helm  myself.  The  wind  still  heading 
off,  I  kept  the  helm  hard  up  to  make  the  brig  fall  off 
before   the  wind.     Being   loaded  with   salt,  she  was 


72  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

amazing  stiff.  All  at  once  I  felt  her  settling  on  one 
side,  no  wind  scarcely  to  be  felt  on  deck  ;  yet  I  per- 
ceived the  top-masts  were  bending  and  the  sails  ap- 
peared to  be  full ;  in  a  moment  the  brig  righted  and 
everything  remained  as  before.  I  thought  it  was 
nothing  but  a  kind  of  a  gust  of  wind,  still  I  observed 
we  were  shooting  ahead  rapidly;  helm  hard  up,  brig 
terribly  unwilling  to  fall  off,  though  she  did  just  as 
fast  as  the  wind  slewed.  All  at  once  she  took  another 
lurch,  and  settled  rapidly  on  to  one  side.  All  hands 
were  on  deck  as  quick  as  possible,  and  notwithstanding 
every  topsail  sheet  was  either  cut  or  let  go  instantly, 
trysail  hauled  down,  staysail  sheets  cast  off,  and  noth- 
ing left  to  hold  any  wind  but  the  foresail,  such  was  the 
violence  of  the^  squall  that  we  came  very  near  running 
under  water. 

What  of  our  sails  did  not  get  blown  away  we 
furled  as  well  as  we  could,  and  then  scud  under  the 
goose-wings  of  our  foresail  for  about  four  hours, 
and  then  hove  to  under  a  balanced  reefed  trysail, 
with  our  full  bow  to  the  leeward,  which  caused  our 
vessel  to  lay  to,  and  head  the  wind  so  completely 
that  scarcely  any  spray  flew  over  us,  although  the 
sea  soon  commenced  running  almost  mountains  high. 

In  due  time  we  arrived  safe  in  Castine,  discharged 
our  cargo,  received  our  wages,  and  each  one  went 
his  own  way. 

In  the  fall  of  1806,  I  took  another  voyage  to  the 
West  Indies  in  the  schooner  Mary,  of  Castine,  Eben- 
ezcr  Perkins,  master,  myself  for  the  first  mate.     This 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  73 

was  the  first  voyage  my  brother  Noah,  next  younger 
than  I,  who  afterwards  became  a  Baptist  minister  of 
the  gospel,  ever  went  to  sea.  We  went  to  Antigua, 
where  we  landed  our  cargo,  which  sold  for  twenty-eight 
dollars  per  thousand,  cash,  and  took  in  ballast  and 
returned  home. 

This  would  have  been  a  very  good  voyage  for  the 
owners  had  it  not  been  for  a  misfortune  which  befel 
us  on  the  passage  home.  "We  were  just  thirteen 
days  from  Antigua,  when  we  discovered  the  chain  of 
mountains  on  the  island  of  Mount  Desert.  This  was 
the  first  day  of  February,  1807;  the  weather  was  ex- 
tremely cold,  so  that  a  man  could  not  stand  at  the 
helm  but  about  half  an  hour  before  his  face  would 
commence  freezing,  and  he  would  have  to  be  re- 
lieved by  another.  The  wind  now  coming  in  shore, 
and  blowing  about  three  days  an  incessant  gale,  we 
were  blown  back  again  almost  into  warm  weather, — 
at  any  rate  we  got  rid  of  all  our  ice,  for  we  were  bad- 
ly iced  up  when  we  made  the  land.  Now  to  make 
this  story  short  as  possible,  lest  I  trespass  on  the 
reader,  I  will  only  observe  that  we  were  blown  off 
three  times,  and  as  often  blown  on  again  before  we 
got  safe  into  port.  We  were  the  whole  month  of 
February  driving  off  and  on  the  coast  without  any 
possibility  cf  safely  making  the  land  after  we  made 
it  the  first  time,  on  account  of  the  extreme  thickness 
of  the  weather  every  time  the  wind  would  become  fair. 

During  this  time  the  weather  became  so  cold  that 
the  frost,  as  we  supposed,  getting  into  our  chain 
4 


74  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

bolts,  they  every  one  on  the  starboard  side  forward 
gave  way  at  once,  and  away  went  our  foremast,  rig- 
ging, sails  and  all,  over  the  lee  bow  into  the  sea,  leav- 
ing us  a  mere  wreck,  to  do  the  best  we  could  with 
our  square  sail  boom  for  a  jury  foremast.  Having 
lost  most  of  our  sails,  we  could  do  but  little  at  beat- 
ing to  windward  ;  hence  our  voyage  home  was  very 
much  protracted.  We  were  at  length  driven  into 
Penobscot  Bay  in  a  severe  rain  storm,  not  knowing 
exactly  where  we  were  till  we  found  ourselves  in 
smooth  water,  under  the  lee  of  Owl's  Head  Island. 

We  now  made  ready  to  anchor,  being  resolved 
not  to  be  blown  off  again  very  soon.  In  about  three 
hours  from  this,  the  wind  having  changed  again 
and  come  round  northwest,  seemed  determined  to 
drive  us  out  to  sea  again,  but  we  were  a  little  too 
near  home  for  it  this  time ;  and  at  eight  o'clock 
P.  M.,  on  the  first  day  of  March,  1807,  it  being  the 
Lord's  day,  we  plumped  her  on  shore,  and  making 
fast  to  the  wharf  furled  our  sails  as  well  as  we  could 
seeing  they  were  already  frozen  almost  as  stiff  as 
leather,  and  went  up  to  the  owner's  house,  which  was 
merely  to  let  them  know  that  we  had  arrived  safe,  not- 
withstanding the  fearful  storm  that  had  been  raging 
all  that  day. 

The  people  could  hardly  imagine  how  it  was  pos- 
sible for  a  vessel  to  come  in  from  sea  the  way  we 
did,  with  our  helm  a  lee,  and  the  vessel  drifting  at 
the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  waves,  among  rocks  and 
ledges   where   no   vessel   ever   attempted   to   pass  in 


LliMTTEL    NORTON.  75 

the  best  of  weather,  with  a  fair  wind ;  but  Divine 
Providence  interposed,  heard  prayer,  for  there  were 
prayers  put  up  to  God  for  us  that  day.  There  be- 
ing a  religious  meeting  at  my  father's  house, — as  I 
have  before  stated,  it  being  the  Sabbath  day, —  the 
ministers,  for  there  were  two  of  them,  students  of  the 
Rev.  Daniel  Merrill,  of  Sedgwick,  were  by  my  par- 
ents requested  to  remember  their  two  sons  at  sea, 
which  these  faithful  servants  of  the  Lord  accord- 
ingly did  and  prayed  so  earnestly  to  Grod  for  us  that 
the  people  took  special  notice  of  it,  and  spoke  of  it 
as  remarkable  after  the  meeting  closed.  While  we 
were  tossing,  plunging,  and  rolling  on  the  restless 
waves,  near  the  ragged  rocks,  that  unseen  Power, 
who  holds  the  winds  in  his  fists,  heard  and  answered 
prayer  in  o^r  behalf,  and  brought  us  safe  to  the  de- 
sired haven,  where  we,  after  enduring  so  much  suf- 
fering, desired  to  be. 

Bear  with  me,  kind  reader,  while  I  give  vent  to 
my  feelings  by  inserting  one  verse  of  Dr.  Watts's 
beautiful  poetry,  composed  from  the  one  hundred  and 
seventh  Psalm,  which  reads  thus  : 

'« "lis  God  that  brings  them  safe  to  land  j 

Let  stupid  mortals  know- 
That  waves  are  under  His  command, 

And  all  the  winds  that  blow." 

Here  I  wish  to  say,  if  you  are  a  parent,  take  en- 
couragement from  this  remarkable  interposition  of 
Divine  Providence  in  answer  to  prayer,  not  only  to 
pray  for  your  children  at  sea,  if  such  you  have,  but 
also  to  ask  others,  and  most  certainly  ministers,   to 


76  AUTOBIOGUArHY    OF 

pray  for  them.  Also  I  would  here  say  to  ministers, 
pray  for  the  adventurous  sailor  ;  God  will  hear  and 
answer  prayer. 

What  renders  the  ahove  circumstance  still  more 
worthy  of  special  notice  is  the  interesting  fact,  that 
both  myself  and  my  brother,  who  was  younger  than 
I,  afterwards  became  ministers  of  the  gospel,  and 
preached  the  gospel  in  that  same  house  where  a  few 
years  before  such  fervent  prayers  had  been  offered  to 
Grod  in  our  behalf. 

In  the  Spring  of  1807,  business  being  rather  dull 
at  Castine,  I  took  a  passage  to  Boston,  and  shipped 
on  board  the  good  ship  Algol,  as  second  mate,  to  go 
to  Bordeaux,  in  France.  Thomas  Follansbee  com- 
manded this  ship,  and  a  worthy  man  he  was,  too. 
We  had  a  very  pleasant  voyage  indee<J,  no  event 
taking  place  whatever,  that  I  can  now  call  to  mind, 
worthy  a  place  in  this  little  book,  except  we  came 
near  losing  our  cook,  who  was  a  colored  man,  and 
rather  fond  of  strong  drink.  One  afternoon,  not  be- 
ing very  busy,  we  took  it  into  our  heads  to  strip  and 
jump  overboard,  and  see  who  was  the  best  swimmer 
amongst  us.  Cuffee  seeing  this,  thought  he  would 
share  in  the  sport,  when  off  go  his  duds,  and  in  he 
comes  among  us,  black  as  ink,  and  spouting  like  a 
porpoise.  Having  noticod  that  he  rather  tumbled 
than  jumped  overboard,  I  felt  a  little  suspicious  of 
him,  knowing  that  there  was  plenty  of  brandy  be- 
low, where  he  could  get  it  if  so  minded,  I  kept 
an  eye  out  for  him  to  see  how  he  succeeded  in  swim- 
ming.    Shortly   I   perceived   him    sink    out  of  sight, 


lEMttEI,   KOftfON.  77 

then  he  came  up  again  spouting  and  shaking  his  head, 
not  moving  about  much  in  any  direction,  all  which 
increased  my  suspicions  that  he  needed  looking  after  \ 
accordingly  I  swam  towards  him,  and  found  him  al- 
ready so  exhausted,  and  withal  so  full  of  water,  as 
to  be  unable  to  answer  when  spoken  to.  Immedi- 
ately I  called  for  help,  which  came  as  quick  as  pos- 
sible, but  a  moment  later  and  he  would  have  sunk,  to 
rise  no  more  to  consciousness,  till  the  judgment  of  the 
great  day.  A  rope,  however,  from  the  ship's  bows, 
made  fast  around  him,  well  manned  by  those  who 
remained  on  deck,  soon  brought  darkey  on  board, 
and  put  an  end  to  our  sport  f .  r  that  day. 

Our  cargo  home  consisted  principally  of  wine  and 
brandy.  We  had  a  pleasant  passage,  and  arrived 
all  well  in  the  city  of  Salem,  a  little  before  the  great 
embargo  of  1807. 

Here  in  Salem  I  shipped  on  board  a  fine  new  ship 
to  go  to  Calcutta,  as  chief  mate,  and  got  the  ship 
ready  for  sea.  It  was  said  about  this  time  that 
William  Gray  had  hauled  up  fifteen  of  his  best 
ships.  How  that  was  I  know  not,  but  one  thing  was 
certain,  it  looked  very  squally  between  the  govern- 
ments of  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States ;  so 
much  so  that  our  owners,  Captain  Blunt  and  others, 
concluded  not  to  send  this  ship  to  sea  for  the  pres- 
ent. They  finally  sold  the  ship  and  bought  a  brig, 
and  put  me  on  board  of  her  to  get  her  ready  for 
sea,  which  thing  I  accordingly  did.  We  were  to 
sail  the    next  day,   when   the   afternoon  previous  the 


78  AtJTOBtO&ftAPH?    OP 

captain,  John  Perkins,  of  Kennebunk,  came  on  board, 
and  said  the  brig  was  likewise  sold. 

I  then  thought  it  would  be  as  well  for  me  to  give 
it  up  for  the  present,  and  go  home  to  Castine,  and 
see  my  folks  once  more,  and  spend  the  winter 
among  my  friends.  Accordingly  I  took  passage  on 
a  coaster  bound  to  Eden  by  way  of  Belfast,  where 
we  had  to  stop  to  land  some  goods  for  the  Honora- 
ble Judge  Read,  who  was  then  about  moving  into 
the  County  of  Waldo,  together  with  some  three  hun- 
dred apple  trees.  On  our  passage  down  east  we 
put  into  Portland  for  a  harbor,  and  anchored  in  what 
is  called  Hog  Island  Roads.  Here  we  rode  out  a  se- 
vere gale,  which  came  near  driving  us  on  shore,  and 
probably  would,  had  we  not  sent  down  our  yards, 
and  launched  our  top-masts,  a  job  seldom  done  by 
coasters  whether  they  go  ashore  or  not.  After  the 
gale  was  over,  we  got  our  yards  aloft  and  top-masts 
up,  and  got  under  way,  reaching  Belfast  next  day. 
Here  we  discharged  the  freight  and  the  trees, 
which  I  may  have  occasion  to  speak  of  again  be- 
fore I  get  through  with  this  history  of  my  life. 
We  now  made  sail  and  cast  off  from  the  wharf, 
bound  for  Eden.  When  abreast  of  my  father's 
house  in  Brooksville,  the  schooner  was  hove  too,  the 
boat  hauled  up,  and  I,  together  with  my  chests,  trunks, 
etc.,  landed  in  what  is  called  Buck's  Harbor.  This 
was  just  after  daylight,  and  as  the  sun  was  about  ris- 
ing, I  entered  my  father's  house  once  more,  having 
been  from  home  about  seven  or  eight  months. 

My  folks,  of  course,  were  glad  to   see  me,  and  I  as 


LEMUEL    KO&TON.  79 

glad  to  see  them.  An  old  lady  living  in  the  street 
where  I  boarded  in  Salem,  told  me  in  fun  one  day, 
after  she  found  out  that  I  was  going  home,  that  the 
first  female  I  should  see  after  arriving  home  would 
finally  become  my  wife.  Singular  as  this  may  ap- 
pear, it  so  turned  out.  My  mother  having,  during 
the  summer,  taken  a  tour  to  Martha's  Vineyard, 
took  home  with  her  a  niece,  a  cousin  of  mine,  to  live 
with  her  a  short  season.  Just  as  I  entered  the  house, 
my  father  meeting  me  at  the  door,  and  while  shaking 
hands  with  me,  another  front  room  door  opened  gent- 
ly, and  out  stepped  a  beautiful  young  lady,  not  quite 
eighteen  years  of  age,  who  on  the  thirtieth  day  of 
March  following,  became  my  affectionate  wife. 

As  I  have  already  said  on  the  twenty-second  day 
of  December,  1807,  the  Embargo  Bill  passed  both 
Houses  of  Congress  and  became  a  law,  stopping  all 
vessels  at  home,  and  putting  an  end  to  foreign  trade 
for  the  present. 

The  winter  of  1808  passed  pleasantly  away  with 
me,  of  course.  I  tried  to  improve  my  time,  however, 
a-s  weU  as  I  could,  helping  my  father  some  about  his 
work,  studying  some,  preparing  myself  for  any  busi- 
ness I  might  find  to  do.  In  the  course  of  the  winter 
I  hired  with  my  brother  who  paid  the  printer  for  my 
time,  and  paid  him  up  what  remained  due. 

As  I  remarked  before,  on  the  thirtieth  day  of 
March,  1808,  after  mature  deliberation  on  the  sub- 
ject, I  took  to  myself  a  companion  for  life — a  young 
lady   be   the  name  of   Polly    Norton,  who    had   been 


80  AUTOBIOGEAPHY    OV 

brought  up  by  a  pious  grandmother,  in  the  town  of 
Tisbury,  Dukes  County,  Massachusetts,  with  whom  I 
lived  forty  years,  lacking  a  few  days,  in  all  the  mutual 
and  dear  relations  of  husband  and  wife. 

After  taking  a  trip  to  Boston  with  my  wife,  in 
order  to  accompany  her  on  the  way  to  visit  her 
friends,  I  returned  and  spent  the  summer  about  home. 
I  finally  engaged  to  mow  a  man's  field  for  him,  which 
I  found  rather  an  uphill  business,  as  I  had  never  been 
accustomed  to  swinging  the  scythe.  I  got  through 
with  it,  however,  in  good  season,  though  it  proved 
rather  an  unprofitable  job. 

About  the  middle  of  August  my  wife  returned 
from  Massachusetts,  and  we  commenced  house-keep- 
ing. I  remained  at  home  all  the  following  winter  and 
spring.  The  Embargo  Law,  which  still  remained  in 
force  to  some  extent,  was  at  this  time  so  modified 
that  vessels  could  go  to  England.  Consequently  the 
new  ship  Thucydides,  which  had  been  built  during 
the  embargo,  was  immediately  fitted  for  sea,  and  my 
brother  and  myself  were  engaged  by  the  owner, 
Mr.  Crawford,  to  go  out  in  her  as  first  and  second 
officers. 

My  brother's  health  was  very  poor,  being  troub- 
led with  a  distressing  cough,  so  that  he  went  the 
voyage  perhaps  as  much  to  try  to  find  help,  as  for 
anything  else ;  and  in  this  he  succeeded  in  some 
measure,  for  he  was  much  better  when  we  left  Liv- 
erpool than  when  we  arrived  there,  though  not  en- 
tirely well.  Our  voyage  in  this  new  ship  was  labo- 
rious  though   prosperous,    and  we    accomplished  it  in 


LEMUEL  NOBTON.  81 

about  six  months.  On  our  passage  out,  on  the 
Grand  Banks  we  fell  in  with  many  icebergs,  some 
of  which  we  narrowly  escaped.  We  had  some 
heavy  gales  to  encounter,  but  our  new  ship  performed 
admirably,  being  perfectly  tight  and  an  excellent  sea 
boat.  In  discharging  our  cargo  in  Liverpool  we  had 
some  difficulty ;  the  timber  having  been  all  winter  in 
the  ship's  hold,  had  so  swollen  as  to  more  than  fill 
the  port  out  of  which  it  had  to  pass,  and  notwith- 
standing the  great  strength  of  those  English  horses 
which  drew  it  forth  out  of  the  ship,  it  sometimes 
rubbed  so  hard  against  the  sides  of  the  port  it  was 
with  difficulty  they  could  start  it  more  than  a  few 
inches  at  a  pull.  We  took  in  a  cargo  of  salt  for  Bos- 
ton, at  which  place  we  arrived  sometime  in  the  fall  of 
1809.  In  the  spring  of  1810  we  again  sailed  for 
Liverpool,  in  the  same  ship  and  in  the  same  capaci- 
ty as  before.  This  time  we  had  contrary  winds  and 
very  rough  weather,  which  caused  our  passage  to  be 
somewhat  lengthy,  and  made  it  very  hard  for  my 
brother,  who  stood  his  watch  till  we  made  the  land, 
when  he  gave  out,  and  never  did  any  more  duty  on 
shipboard.  On  our  arrival  in  port  he  stepped  into  a 
carriage,  and  was  conveyed  to  the  house  of  the  same 
doctor  who  had  attended  him  when  there  the  year 
before,  but  failed  fast.  His  cough  become  more 
and  iiiore  distressing,  so  that  it  was  evident  he  could 
not  hold  out  a  great  while  longer. 

Our  ship  being  nearly  ready   for   sea,    and  having 
shipped  a  second  mate  to  fill  my   place,    while   I  had 
4* 


82  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

to  take  my  brother's  place,  I  asked  him  one  day  if 
he  thought  of  returning  in  the  ship  with  us,  or  to 
stay,  and  come  home  in  some  other  ship,  after  get- 
ting better,  if  he  ever  should.  To  which  he  replied, 
that  if  he  could  live  to  get  home,  he  should  rather 
return  in  the  ship  ;  and  in  order  to  settle  this  point 
as  near  as  possible,  he  wished  me  to  ask  the  opinion 
of  some  skilful  physician,  which  I  accordingly  did. 
Dr.  McCurdy,  one  of  the  most  skilful  physicians  in 
Liverpool,  , after  a  thorough  examination  into  his 
case,  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  he  would  not  sur- 
vive over  twenty  days,  though  he  said  he  thought  he 
might  possibly  live  fifty  days.  He  then  gave  me  a 
memorandum  of  what  lie  thought  best  for  him  to  eat 
and  drink,  etc.,  on  the  way  home,  provided  he  should 
conclude  to  take  passage  with  us,  all  of  which  was 
provided  for  him  before  leaving  port.  On  inform- 
ing him  of  the  doctor's  opinion  concerning  his  living 
to  return  home,  he  wished  to  know  how  long  I  thought 
it  would  take  to  make  the  passage.  I  said  about 
forty  days.  After  thinking  a  few  minutes  he  calmly 
said  :  "  you  will  make  the  necessary  provisions,  and 
I  shall  endeavor  to  return  home  with  you.  I'd  rather 
die  with  you  than  die  with  strangers,  and  possi- 
bly I  may  live  to  return  once  more  ;  if  not  the  will 
of  the  Lord  be  done."  All  this  was  said  with  so 
much  calm  resignation,  that  I  could  but  weep  at  the 
thought  of  losing  that  dear  brother.  A  day  or  two 
after  this  interview  he  was  conveyed  in  a  covered 
carriage  to  the  place  where  the  boat  lay  ready  to 
receive  him,  and   put   carefully    on   board    the    ship. 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  83 

He  was  able  to  walk  about  the  deck  a  little,  when 
he  first  came  on  board,  though  he  seemed  to  take 
very  little  notice  of  what  was  going  on.  As  soon  as 
we  got  to  sea  he  took  to  his  room,  and  never  came 
on  deck  any  more  till  he  had  passed  over  the  Jor- 
dan of  death  to  a  mansion  above,  that  I  believe 
Christ  had  prepared  for  him.  Soon  after  he  was 
taken  on  board,  the  ship  was  got  under  way,  and 
hastened  on  her  voyage  across  the  broad  Atlantic. 
The  steward  of  the  ship  was  told  by  the  Captain  to 
give  his  whole  time,  if  needed,  to  the  care  of  Mr. 
Norton,  so  that  he  was  as  well  provided  for  as  cir- 
cumstances would  allow  on  shipboard.  He  lived 
just  twenty-two  days  after  coming  on  board  the 
ship.  At  five  o'clock  A.  M.,  on  the  twentieth  of 
August  1810,  he  departed  this  life,  in  the  morning 
of  manhood,  aged  thirty  years,  two  months  and  fif- 
teen days.  He  was  the  oldest  of  seven  sons,  and 
certain  it  is  that  he  was  one  of  the  best  of  them,  if 
there  was  any  difference  in  them.  He  was  es- 
pecially endeared  to  me,  not  only  because  he  was  a 
brother,  but  because  he  was  an  affectionate  brother. 
This  appears  at  once  when  we  consider  what  he  did 
for  me  in  advancing  the  money  necessary  to  clear  me 
from  the  demands  of  the  printer,  I  have  often 
thought  it  a  striking  incident  of  Divine  Providence 
that  I  should  have  the  privilege  of  being  with  him 
in  his  sickness,  and  in  his  last  moments.  But  he 
has  gone,  to  return  no  more  till  the  sea  shall  give  up 
the  dead  that  are  in  it.  The  day  after  his  decease 
the  ship  was  hove  to   for   several   hours,    the  Ameri- 


84  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OP 

can  ensign  was  hoisted  at  the  mizzen  peak,  the  af- 
ter yards  were  thrown  aback,  the  weather  being  fine 
and  the  sea  smooth,  the  ship  lay  as  still  as  though 
she  knew  her  first  officer  was  about  to  be  buried  in 
the  bosom  of  the  great  deep.  Everything  being 
ready,  the  new  canvas  sack  containing  the  body, 
with  sufficient  weights  attached  to  it  to  cause  it 
gently  to  sink  to  the  bottom,  wa-i  laid  upon  a  plank 
prepared  for  the  purpose,  and  carefully  lowered 
down  the  ship's  side,  and  canted  over  so  that  the 
corpse  was  left  to  settle  away  gradually  from  our 
view,  to  be  seen  no  more  till  the  dead,  small  and 
great,  shall  stand  before  that  tribunal  to  which  all  must 
come  to  give  an  account  of  the  things  done  in  the 
body,  whether  they  be  good  or  whether  they  be  evil. 

This  was  a  solemn  scene  to  me,  never  to  to  be  erased 
from  my  memory  while  I  am  capable  of  remember- 
ing anything.  Oh !  how  solemn  that  afternoon — 
that  evening,  and  how  lonely  that  quarter  deck. 
And  even  now,  after  the  lapse  of  fifty-one  years, 
the  events  of  that  day  and  that  night  are  as  vivid  in 
my  memory  as  though  they  had  taken  place  but  a 
few  days  ago. 

We  arrived  in  Boston,  discharged  most  of  our  car- 
go, and  then  returned  to  Castine.  Going  into  the 
harbor  our  colors  were  all  set  half  mast  high,  out  of 
respect  to  him  we  left  in  the  bosom  of  the  deep. 
Many  a  heart  was  sad  that  day,  especially  the  be- 
reaved widow,  who  could  scarely  endure  the 
thought  of  seeing  us  all  return  safe  and  sound  but 
the   one  above    all    others  that  was  dear  to  her  heart. 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  85 


CHAPTER    IV.. 


Our  good  ship  was  once  more  loaded  and  made 
ready  for  sea,  to  carry  out  another  cargo  of  pine  lum- 
ber to  Old  England,  for  the  use  of  that  country,  where 
boards  enough  to  make  a  coffin  will  cost  you  about 
three  guineas,  or  say,  twelve  dollars.  We  now  have 
a  new  crew  and  a  new  second  mate,  who  is  my  brother, 
younger  than  I. 

Our  owner  wants  to  send  the  ship  out  in  the  winter, 
lumber  at  the  time  being  very  high,  and  worth  more 
than  usual. 

The  first  or  second  day  of  January,  1811,  we 
sailed  from  Castine  with  a  fair  wind,  and  after  riding 
out  a  severe  snow  storm  in  Owl's-Head  harbor,  so 
called,  we  again  weighed  and  sailed  for  Europe, 
This  proved  to  be  a  terrible  cold  and  stormy  pas- 
sage. We  experienced  some  severe  gales,  though 
our  ship  made  no  complaint,  but  proved  herself  fully 
equal  to  the  conflict,  being  well  manned  and  well 
managed. 

Nothing  alarming  took  place  till  after  we  made 
the  land,  when  sailing  up  St.  George's  Channel  we 
made  a  very  small  mistake  ;  and  in"  consequence  of 
steering  a  little  too  much  to  the  north  of  east,  we 
had  to  pass  in  shore,  or  to  the  northward,  of  the 
Tuscar   liock,   which  is  a  very  small    island,    in  shore 


86  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OP 

of  which  no  large  vessel  ever  attempts  to  pass  unless 
driven  to  through  sheer  necessity.  This  brought  us 
considerably  to  leeward  of  our  course,  and  finally 
ended  in  the  loss  of  our  ship,  and  well  nigh  in  the 
loss  of  all  our  lives,  as  the  sequel  will  show. 

The  wind  being  southeasterly  and  blowing  a  gale, 
we  could  never  make  up  the  loss ;  that  is  to  say, 
we  could  never  get  so  far  to  windward  as  we  needed 
to  be,  on  our  direct  course  from  Cape  Clear  to  Holy- 
head. The  wind  increasing  and  heading  us  off,  we 
soon  found  ourselves  nearing  the  Irish  coast,  but 
made  out  to  fetch  along  shore  up  the  Channel  that 
night  till  the  next  morning,  when  we  discovered  the 
land  not  more  than  four  or  five  miles  under  our  lee 
bow.  The  wind  having  become  fixed,  and  blowing 
a  gale,  we  might,  and  ought  to,  have  gone  into 
Waterford,  which  was  under  our  lee.  But  no  ;  our 
captain  was  a  little  too  stout  for  that,  and  on  we 
sped  our  way,  other  vessels  all  making  a  harbor  as 
fast  as  possible.  We,  however,  continued  on,  ear- 
ring sail  at  a  fearful  rate,  the  sea  breaking  over  us  in 
a  manner  almost  alarming. 

One  of  two  things  must  now  be  done.  We  had 
already  passed  by  a  good  harbor,  and  there  was  none 
ahead  that  we  could  possibly  reach  as  the  wind  then 
was,  consequently  we  must  either  lighten  the  ship  or 
_  shorten  sail.  If  we  shortened  sail,  the  ship  would 
inevitably  go  on  shore  where  we  must  all  hands  per- 
ish in  the  breakers.  Accordingly  we  concluded  to 
lighten  the  ship  of  all  the  lumber,  spars,  etc.,  that 
were  0:1  the  upper  deck. 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  87 

This  being  done,  our  ship  seemed  to  make  rather 
better  weather  for  a  time.  But  alas !  the  gale  in- 
creased to  a  fury,  so  that  we  must  now  reef  or  carry 
our  masts  over  the  side.  With  much  difficulty  a 
reef  was  taken  in  each  topsail,  and  all  the  staysails 
furled  but  the  storm  staysails.  This  seemed  to  relieve 
the  ship  a  little,  though  she  would  plunge  fearfully  into 
the  sea  at  times,  which  was  now  running  mountains 
high  and  breaking  on  the  shore  to  the  leeward  of  us 
with  awful  grandeur. 

In  an  hour  or  so  after  reefing,  we  discovered 
breakers  very  near  us  under  the  lee  bow,  to  avoid 
which  we  concluded  to  try  our  good  tackling.  The 
topsails,  fore  and  aft,  were  immediately  furled,  every- 
thing made  as  snug  as  possible,  and  the  helm  put 
hard  a  lee,  and  the  ship  brought  head  to  the  wind 
under  her  storm  mizzen,  and  the  best  bower  anchor 
let  go.  Here  we  were,  near  the  foaming,  thundering 
billows,  our  beautiful  ship  laboring,  rolling,  and 
plunging,  as  if  anxious  to  be  cut  loose  from  this  ter- 
rible condition.  The  sea  proved  to  be  too  strong 
for  our  anchor,  ponderous  as  it  was,  and  though  it 
held  on  marvelously  for  a  short  time,  the  wind  and 
sea  both  increasing  in  power  and  force,  our  noble 
ship  began  to  drift  and  bring  (as  sailors  call  it)  the 
anchor  home. 

Now  came  another  dilemma.  The  cable  must  be 
cut,  the  ship  got  under  way  and  steered  dear  of  these 
breakers,  or  immediate  death  was  our  inevitable  1  t. 

In    this    critical    moment    a    consultation    was  had. 


88  ATJTOBIOGBAPHY   OF 

when  it  was  agreed  unanimously  to  cut  the  cable, 
run  up  the  head-sails,  and,  if  possible,  pass  to  wind- 
ward of  these  breakers,  and  prepare  to  run  the  ship 
on  shore,  as  we  had  now  lost  all  hope  of  keeping  her 
off  till  the  gale  should  abate  so  that  we  could  carry- 
sail  again.  We  accordingly  cut  the  cable,  run  up 
the  fore  top-mast  staysail,  and  just  escaped  those 
sunken  ledges  which  would  have  broken  our  ship 
to  pieces  in  a  very  few  moments  had  she  been 
made  of  steel.  Here  I,  though  a  poor  ignorant  sin- 
ner, could  but  see  the  hand  of  God  in  our  escape 
from  this  fearful  dilemma.  We  were  now  about  one 
mile  from  the  shore,  drifting  rapidly  toward  the 
breakers.  The  captain  and  myself  now  went  on 
to  the  fore  yard  to  see  if  we  could  discover  some 
place  where  the  ship  could  be  run  on  shore  with 
some  prospect  of  saving  our  lives.  We  were  fortu- 
nate enough  to  see  a  place  where  we  thought  she 
might  be  run  so  near  the  shore  without  striking,  as 
to  render  it  possible  for  us  to  escape.  When  di- 
rectly abreast  of  this  chosen  spot  of  life  or  death, 
the  helm  was  put  hard  up,  the  ship  fell  off  before 
the  sea,  and  in  another  moment,  as  it  were,  she  was 
flying  upon  the  top  of  a  mighty  wave,  which  carried 
her  so  far  on  shore  that  when  that  wave  left  her,  it 
was  as  if  she  had  been  let  fall  from  some  twenty 
feet  in  the  air,  striking  with  such  a  fearful  crash,  and 
so  sudden,  that  it  brought  every  man  flat  to  the 
deck — he  could  not  tell  how,  only  each  man  found 
himself    prostrated.     In    this   fearful   moment    every 


lEMtEt   NOfeTOtf.  89 

tnan  had  to  look  out  for  himself.  Two  men  at  the 
helm  were  admonished  to  stand  away  from  it ;  this, 
and  the  cry,  "Let  every  man  take  care  of  him- 
self!" were  the  last  orders  given  on  this  occasion, 
except  to  tell  them  not  to  hold  on  to  cleats  or  be"* 
laying  pins,  but  to  lay  hold  on  the  shrouds  when  the 
next  sea  came.  Here  we  were,  flat  on  the  land ; 
another  sea  approaching  with  awful  fury,  came 
tumbling  over  us,  burying  us  far  beneath  its  foaming 
surface,  overwhelming  our  ship  as  it  passed,  though 
not  without  carrying  us  some  distance  towards  terra 
firma,  which  all  seemed  just  now  in  want  to  gain, 
having  drank  quite  salt  water  enough  for  the  present. 
It  was  curious  to  notice  what  the  second  sea  did  to 
us  after  the  ship  struck.  It  whirled  the  ship  entirely 
round,  causing  her  to  lay  broadside  to  the  sea,  broke 
the  rudder  in  three  pieces,  stove  the  stern  boat  en- 
tirely to  pieces,  and  broke  some  three  or  four  of  the 
main  deck  beams,  etc.,  etc.  The  sea  continued  to 
break  all  over  us,  perhaps  ten  or  fifteen  feet  high,  all 
hands  taking  care  of  themselves  as  best  they  could. 

A  thought  struck  my  mind  just  at  this  juncture 
of  affairs,  to  make  fast  a  rope  to  a  plank  that  I  had 
saved  when  clearing  the  deck  in  the  morning,  and 
let  the  sea  take  it  on  shore.  This  was  accordingly 
done,  and  just  at  that  moment  two  Irishmen  came 
to  the  spot,  saw,  and  secured  the  plank,  holding  on 
to  the  end  of  the  rope.  The  captain,  who  now  stood 
in  the  gangway,  seeing  what  was  done,  says :  "  I 
will  go  on  shore,  Mr.  Norton."     "  Very  good,"  said  I, 


90  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

"  step  on  deck  and  I  will  make  this  rope  fast  around 
you,"  which  I  accordingly  did,  taking  care,  at  the 
same  time*  to  make  the  deep  sea  line  fast  to  the  rope 
to  haul  it  back  by.  The  two  men  on  shore,  perceiving 
what  was  doing  on  board1  the  ship,  prepared  them- 
selves for  the  struggle,  and  as  soon  as  they  saw  the 
captain  jump  overboard  they  commenced  hauling  for 
life,  to  save  life,  but  it  was  a  narrow  escape.  The 
captain  was  a  very  heavy  man,  being  six  feet  and 
three  inches  in  his  stockings,  and  withal  rather  fleshy, 
and  having,  in  his  haste,  leaped  into  the  sea  when 
the  sea  was  down,  it  gave  the  two  men  a  terrible  tug 
to  pull  him  on  shore,  being  some  ten  or  fifteen  feet 
under  water,  on  account  of  the  sea  that  overwhelmed 
him  immediately  after  leaving  the  ship.  They  suc- 
ceeded, however,  in  getting  him  out  of  the  surf,  al- 
though it  was  some  time  before  he  could  stand. 

Seeing  him  safe  on  shore,  I  immediately  drew  back 
the  rope,  which  the  captain  had  now  so  far  re- 
covered from  his  perilous  condition  as  to  take  good 
care  of  the  end  of,  so  that  we  should  not  lose  our 
means  of  conveyance  from  the  ship  to  the  shore. 

The  nest  sent  on  shore  was  the  second  mate,  who, 
while  clearing  the  decks  in  the  morning,  had  some- 
how got  his  ankle  hurt  so  that  he  was  about  disabled. 
I  made  the  rope  carefully  fast  around  his  body,  and 
charged  him  not  to  let  go  the  ship  till  the  sea  came 
and  took  him  off,  and  to  mind  and  keep  himself  on 
top  off  the  wave,  which  he  did,  and  passed  on  shore 
without  much  difficulty.  In  like  manner  all,  fifteen 
in  number,  were  conveyed  safe  on  shore  on  what  is 


LEMtEt  NORTON.  91 

called  Cooldross  Beach,  eight  miles  from  Weeklow 
Light,  southwest  of  us,  and  sixteen  miles  from  the 
city  of  Dublin,  northeast  of  us,  on  the  first  day  of 
February*  1811,  after  a  rough  and  boisterous  passage 
of  thirty  days. 

Here  we  remained  about  one  month,  getting  our 
lumber  on  shore,  stripping  our  ship,  and  saving 
everything  for  the  good  of  the  underwriters  as  the 
case  might  be.  I  will  here  just  say  that  after  getting 
safe  on  shore  and  drying  ourselves  by  the  fire  of  a 
poor  Irishman,  who  lived  near  by  in  a  mud  hut,  and 
getting  some  refreshments  in  a  better  house  near  by, 
we  returned  to  the  ship,  those  who  were  not  too 
much  exhausted  with  the  labors  of  the  day,  and  got 
the  small  anchor  on  shore  with  the  cable  attached,  to 
prevent  the  ship  from  going  off  in  case  she  should 
float  the  next  tide. 

The  captain,  in  the  meantime,  procured  a  corpo- 
ral and  twelve  men  to  guard  the  ship  till  morning. 
After  getting  all  our  charts,  trunks,  and  private  prop- 
erty on  shore,  and  piling  it  up  in  the  hut  above 
named,  we  went  to  a  certain  house,  and  took  lodg- 
ings in  their  barn  for  the  night,  where  we  obtained 
BOOM  few  hours'  sleep,  the  first  we  had  enjoyed  for 
some  considerable  length  of  time. 

The  first  thing  in  the  morning  was  for  each  one 
to  look  after  his  own  things.  In  overhauling  for 
mine,  I  missed  my  trunk,  which  was  stolen  during 
;the  night  by  some  of  the  Irish  people  who  came 
down  to  the  ship  that  night  on  purpose  to  plunder 
whatever  might  come  to  hand. 


92  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    Of 

This  trunk  had  in  it  all  my  best  clothes.  I  alsc 
lost  a  pea  jacket,  for  which  I  paid  twenty  dollars 
boots,  etc.,  in  all  worth  about  one  hundred  and  fiftj 
dollars.  But  seeing  our  lives  were  spared,  I  fell 
thankful  to  think  we  came  off  so  well  as  we  did.  Ir 
this  neighborhood  we  found  a  good  boarding  place, 
where  the  captain  and  myself  boarded,  except  thej 
had  no  floor,  only  one  strip  of  board  which  rar 
alongside  of  the  bed  where  we  stood  to  dress  anc 
undress,  all  the  rest  being  nothing  more  than  smootl 
cement,  which  in  damp  weather  becomes  somewhai 
muddy.  The  crew  and  second  mate  took  their  meals 
on  the  beach,  where  the  ship's  cooking  apparatus  and 
provisions  were  landed. 

After  being  here  some  days,  I  told  a  gentleman 
who  came  down  to  the  ship,  about  losing  my  trunk, 
and  he  said  he  would  try  to  do  something  about  il 
for  me.  Accordingly,  he  got  all  the  priests  in  the 
vicinity,  a  distance  of  eight  miles  from  the  ship  each 
way,  to  cry  it  in  their  churches. 

These  Catholic  priests  told  their  congregations 
that  if  any  of  them  had  the  American  mate's  trunk, 
or  anything  else  belonging  to  the  ship,  to  return  it 
immediately,  on  pain  of  being  excluded  from  the 
church.  This  declaration  had  some  effect,  but  not 
the  desired  effect.  The  same  gentleman,  one  morn- 
ing, on  going  to  his  front  door,  saw  a  letter  lying  on 
the  door-stone,  which  he  took  up,  and  read  as  fol- 
lows: "Dear  Sir:  In  the  third  crotch  of  such  a  tree 
in   your   garden   you  will   find   the  American  mate's 


T.EMUFX    N0UT0N.  93 

pocket  book."  This  pocket  book,  after  being  rifled 
of  what  money  it  contained,  was  all  the  thief  would 
give  up.  And  this  is  all  I  ever  heard  about  it,  or 
ever  expect  to. 

This  is  a  beautiful  country,  never  very  cold,  and 
never  very  hot.  No  cellars  are  needed  here.  Po- 
tatoes are  dug  and  heaped  up  in  the  field,  and  cov- 
ered over  with  a  thin  layer  of  earth,  where  Jhey  re- 
main all  winter,  or  until  they  are  wanted  for  use. 
Their  manner  of  fattening  lambs  is  somewhat  curi- 
ous ;  while  but  a  few  days  old  they  are  taken  entire- 
ly away  from  the  dam,  and  fed  on  cow's  milk  till 
about  six  weeks  old,  when  they  are  considered  fit 
for  market.  After  milking  the  cow,  the  girl  takes 
her  seat,  the  pail  of  milk  sitting  by  her  side,  with  a 
tin  dipper  in  it  for  the  purpose,  the  boy  takes  the 
lamb  from  one  pen,  handing  him  to  the  girl,  who 
with  her  dipper  fills  her  mouth  with  the  warm  milk 
directly  from  the  cow,  and  with  the  lamb  on  his 
back  between  her  feet,  her  mouth  to  the  lamb's 
mouth,  she  discharges  mouthful  after  mouthful  into 
the  lamb's  mouth,  till  he  has  received  his  allowance, 
when  he  is  passed  by  another  boy  into  the  opposite 
pen.  It  is  astonishing  to  see  how  quick  this  process 
of  feeding  lambs  is  accomplished. 

A  jury  of  carpenters  from  Dublin,  after  thorough- 
ly examining  our  ship,  reported  that  it  would  not  be 
for  the  benefit  of  either  owners  or  underwriters  to 
attempt  to  get  the  ship  off,  or  to  repair  her  at  all, 
most  of  her  floor  timbers  being  broken,  besides  be- 
ing  badly   hogged   and  filled   with   water  every  high 


94  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

water.  Consequently  a  day  being  set,  she  was  sold 
where  she  lay,  to  the  highest  bidder,  a  gentleman 
from  Dublin,  for  the  meager  sum  of  two  hundred 
and  twenty  pounds  Irish  currency,  or  about  nine 
hundred  dollars. 

Having  done  up  all  that  there  was  for  us  to  do  in 
this  place,  we  took  the  stage  to  Dublin,  where  I  had 
been  a  few  days  before,  and  procured  a  voyage  on 
board  an  American  brig  bound  to  Lisbon,  the  cap- 
tain of  which  had  sometime  before  turned  both  of 
his  mates  on  shore  for  some  neglect  on  their  part, 
which  resulted  in  a  lawsuit  about  some  embezzle- 
ment of  wine  taken  on  board  the  brig,  that  the  lump- 
pers  who  stowed  the  cargo  were  found  making  too 
free  with.  Kind  Providence  again  seemed  to  favor 
my  brother  and  myself,  for  instead  of  losing  any 
time  by  being  cast  away,  we  gained  a  day  or  two, 
not  being  paid  off  by  the  consignee  from  the  ship 
we  lost,  till  we  had  belonged  to  the  brig  a  short 
time.  And  then  wo  entered  on  board  the  brig  in 
the  same  capacity  that  we  had  been  in  on  board  the 
ship,  and  having  the  same  wages.  And,  having  no 
bills  of  lading  to  sign,  the  brig  being  already  load- 
ed and  ready  for  sea,  we  had  rather  an  easy  time 
of  it.  This  brig  belonged  to  Abial  Wood,  of  Wis- 
casset,  Ldward  Langdon,  master,  and  had  taken  in 
a  cargo  of  barley,  hams,  wine,  etc.,  for  Lord  Wel- 
lington's army,  which  was  then  only  about  fifty 
miles  from  Lisbon,  contending  with  the  world-re- 
nowned Bonaparte.  The  barley  was  intended  for  his 
horses. 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  95 

We  had  a  good  passage  to  Lisbon,  only  we  had 
a  comical  man  for  our  captain,  whom  we  found  it 
necessary  to  check  a  little  in  regard  to  his  conduct 
with  the  steward  and  the  boy,  towards  whotn  he  seemed 
to  be  rather  unkind. 

We  discharged  this  cargo  into  lighters  that  came 
alongside  to  receive  it  in  a  few  days,  and  then  went 
down  south  about  seventy. five  miles  to  St.  Ubes 
for  a  cargo  of  salt.  Here,  during  the  captain's  ab- 
sence to  Lisbon,  j.ttending  his  lawsuit,  we  hauled 
the  brig  on  shore  and  smoked  her,  in  order  to  des- 
troy the  rats  that  had  become  very  annoying;  in- 
deed, so  much  so  that  it  was  difficult  sleeping  on  ac- 
count of  them  in  the  night.  This  smoking  busi- 
ness was  accomplished  in  the  following  manner : — 
the  windows  and  companion  way  were  closed,  the 
hatches  put  on,  after  making  three  fires  in  the  hold, 
one  forward,  one  aft,  and  one  amidships;  blue  clay 
was  had  in  readiness,  and  then  a  man  with  three 
parcels  of  sulphur  in  his  hands,  and  a  rope  secured 
round  his  body,  so  that  if  he  should  be  suffocated 
before  reaching  the  deck,  we  could  draw  him  out, 
went  into  the  hold  and  threw  the  sulphur  into  the 
several  fires,  and  returned  on  deck,  when  the  hatch- 
es were  clapped  on,  and  this  blue  clay  put  into  the 
seams  to  make  them  perfectly  tight  so  that  no  smoke 
could  escape.  This  was  done  precisely  at  ten  A.  M., 
when  all  was  tight  as  a  cup.  At  twelve  M.,  just 
Jtwo  hours  from  the  time  the  hatches  were  put  on, 
they  were  again  taken  off,  and  the  smoke  permitted 
to  escape.     When  all  was  gone  so  that  it  was   safe 


96  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

to  go  below,  we  ventured  cautiously  down  into  the 
hold,  when,  lo  and  behold  !  there  they  lay,  rank  and 
file,  side  by  side,  like  so  many  slain  soldiers,  round 
the  several  fires,  no  less  than  two  hundred  and  sev- 
enty rats  of  all  sizes,  from  about  the  size  of  a  mouse 
up  to  the  bigness  of  a  decent  sized  cat ;  and  not  only 
were  the  rats  and  mice  all  destroyed,  but  everything, 
bugs,  spiders,  flies.  —  whatever  had,  or  was  liable 
to  have  animal  life,  was  completely  destroyed,  so  that 
we  had  no  more  trouble  from  this  direction.  It  may 
be  proper  for  me  to  say  that  the  paint  in  the  cabin, 
and  wherever  else  there  was  any,  was  also  entirely 
ruined. 

Here  we  were,  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  the  day  of 
our  national  independence.  American  ships  in  this 
port  had  their  colors  flying,  their  cannon  roaring, 
and  sailors  on  shore  had  abundance  of  drinking,  fight- 
ing, and  such  like  other  carnal  mirth  and  merriment 
as  suited  them  best. 

After  taking  in  our  cargo  of  salt,  we  bent  sails 
and  prepared  for  sea  ;  and  about  the  last  day  of  July 
1811,  we  weighed  anchor  and  sailed  for  Boston,  and 
after  a  fair  weather  passage  of  some  thirty-five  or 
forty  days,  we  arrived  safe  once  more  in  the  United 
States,  from  which  I  had  been  absent  about  nine 
months. 

After  receiving  my  pay  for  my  services  on  board  the 
brig,  I  took  passage  in  a  coasting  vessel  to  Castine, 
and  found  my  family  all  well,  though  almost  out  of  pa- 
tience waiting  for  my  return.  This  was  my  last 
voyage. 


LEMUEL    NOKTON.  97 


CHAPTER    V 


Those  familiar  with  the  scenes  of  those  days  will 
recollect  that  in  1812,  war  with  Great  Britain  was 
declared  by  President  Madison.  This,  of  course, 
put  an  end  to  all  commercial  intercourse  with  other 
nations,  except  in  cases  where  merchants  and  ship 
owners  were  disposed,  for  the  sake  of  gain,  to  run 
the  risk  of  being  taken  by  English  cruisers  or  of 
fighting  their  way  through  on  their  own  hook.  This, 
I  am  glad  to  say,  many  did,  some  by  beating  off  their 
assailants,  and  others  by  retaking  their  vessels  after 
they  had  been  taken  possession  of  by  the  enemy. 

After  being  peaceably  settled  at  home  with  my 
little  family,  I  concluded,  having  some  money  to 
spare  for  that  purpose,  to  finish  another  room  in  my 
house.  Accordingly,  I  engaged  a  carpenter  and  set 
him  about  the  work,  and,  when  ready,  had  it  plas- 
tered, etc.     And  now  commences  a  new  era  in  my  life. 

I  will  here  say  to  the  reader  that  I  now,  on  this 
page,  in  the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  commence 
writing  what  I  call  ray  Christian  experience. 

I  am  aware  of  the  responsibility  and  difficulty  of 
this  undertaking,  inasmuch  as  I  am  not  learned,  and 
but  little  u?ed  to  writing  for  the  press.  It  will  be 
with  difficulty  that  I  shall  make  this  subject  as  plain 
and  intelligent  to  the  interested  reader  as  I  have  a 
desire  to.  But  one  thing  I  promise,  and  that  is,  I 
5 


98  AUTOBIOGKAPHY.    OF 

will  do  the  best  I  can,  hoping  and  praying  that  the 
grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will  be  with  the  writer 
and  the  reader,  so  that  both  shall  be  profited  in  writing 
and  in  reading  what  follows  in  the  relation  of  this  hum- 
ble effort  of  the  writer  to  contribute  something  subser- 
vient to  the  cause  of  truth. 

In  speaking  of  some  of  the  incidents  of  my  child- 
hood, the  reader  will  probably  recollect  that  I  spoke 
of  hearing  a  sermon  preached  by  the  Rev.  Daniel 
Merrill,  when  I  was  about  twelve  years  of  age,  on  the 
terrible  condition  of  the  lost  sinner  in  a  future  state. 
I  also  spoke  of  the  astonishing  effect  it  had  on  my 
mind,  causing  me  to  weep  profusely,  etc.  Although 
these  solemn  truths,  as  I  then  considered,  and  still 
believe  them  to  be,  were  not  lasting  in  their  influence 
on  my  mind,  being,  as  they  were,  supplanted  by 
youthful  follies  and  indulgencies,  yet  I  think  they 
were  of  some  benefit  to  me,  for  I  never  saw  the  time 
in  my  life  that  I  felt  pleased  at  hearing  religion  spoken 
against. 

The  next  time  that  I  now  recollect  of  feeling  seri- 
ous about  my  soul,  was  when  about  twenty  years  of 
age,  after  my  arrival  home  from  that  three  years  and 
a  half  cruise  that  I  spoke  of,  having  been  cast  away 
in  an  English  man-of-war.  I  heard  a  sermon  about 
this  time  preached  by  the  Rev.  John  Burnham  of 
Orland,  a  Baptist  minister.  His  text  was,  1  Peter 
iv.  18:  "And  if  the  righteous  scarcely  be  saved, 
where  shall  the  ungodly  and  the  sinner  appear  ?"  I 
distinctly  recollect  to  this  day  how  he  handled  this 
subject;  and   I  would  that  ministers   at  the   present 


-LEMUEL    NORTON.  99 

day  would  be  as  plain,  as  pointed,  and  as  exact  in 
their  preaching  as  was  this  servant  of  Christ,  (I 
mean  some  of  them.)  After  introducing  his  subject, 
he  said,  "  I  shall  now  proceed  to  contrast  characters," 
which  he  did  with  such  force  and  clearness,  as  made 
his  hearers  conclude  that  the  subject  was  one  not  to 
be  trifled  with.  I  remember  now  to  this  day,  although 
it  is  fifty-five  years  since,  a  remark  that  I  made  to  my 
shipmates,  as  we  together  were  passing  out  of  the 
house.  I  said,  "  If  the  speaker  has  told  us  the  truth 
to-night,  we  are  in  an  evil  case,"  to  which  one  of  them 
replied,  "  I  guess  you  are  going  to  be  a  Methodist." 
This  was  a  solemn  meeting,  and  I  have  no  doubt  it  did 
good.  But  the  impressions  made  on  my  mind  were 
like  the  morning  cloud  or  the  early  dew ; — they  soon 
passed  away. 

The  next,  rather  singular  event,  that  I  now  think 
of  in  reference  to  my  serious  impressions,  was  on 
this  wise  :  a  meeting  having  been  held  at  my  fath- 
er's one  Sabbath,  on  retiring  to  bed  with  a  Deacon 
Weed,  a  very  pious  man,  who  had  taken  an  active 
part  in  the  evening  meeting,  he  said,  as  we  were  get- 
ting into  bed,  "  Lord,  I  am  going  to  bed  with  this 
impenitent  sinner,  and  perhaps  he  is  a  better  man 
by  nature  than  I  am."  Nothing  farther  was  said, 
and  we  were  both  soon  asleep.  In  the  morning,  as 
the  day  broke,  I  awoke  out  of  sleep  with  a  most 
singular  groan,  which  surprised  me  not  a  little,  and 
for  which  I  could  never  account.  In  a  few  min- 
utes   the   old    gentleman    arose    and    dressed    him- 


100  ATTTOBIOGKAPHY    OF 

self  and  went  into  the  room  where  my  mother  was 
getting  breakfast,  and  said  to  her,  so  loud  that  I  dis- 
tinctly heard  every  word,  "  That  son  of  yours,  is  go- 
ing to  be  a  Christian."  My  mother  replied,  "  What 
makes  you  think  so,  Deacon  "Weed  ?"  "  Because," 
said  he,  "  I  asked  the  Lord  if  he  would  make  him  a 
Christian,  to  make  him  groan ;  and  he  immediately 
groaned  out  three  times."  This  I  heard,  and  have, 
as  simple  as  it  might  appear  to  others,  often  thought 
of  myself. 

Sometimes,  in  distressing  gales  at  sea,  I  used  to 
pray  as  I  lay  in  my  berth,  when  it  was  my  watch  be- 
low. Once  when  at  home,  at  my  father's  in  time  of 
a  religious  awakening  in  the  place,  I  became  so  far 
sensible  of  my  lost  condition  as  a  sinner,  and  the 
need  I  stood  in  of  something  that  I  had  not,  that  I 
went  out  one  morning  alone  and  knelt  down,  and 
tried  to  pray  as  well  as  I  could,  but  it  seemed  hard 
work ;  I  rose  up  and  left  the  place  with  a  measure 
of  diappointment  and  even  disgust,  very  much  cast 
down  and  discouraged  in  mind,  and  almost  ready 
to  think  God  a  hard  master  and  an  austere  sover- 
eign. On  my  way  back  to  the  house  a  verse  of 
Dr.  Watts's  poetry  struck  my  mind  with  great 
weight  and  solemnity,  so  much  so  that  I  seemed  to 
settle  under  it,  and  came  near  crying  out  to  God  to 
have  mercy  on  my  soul,  which  if  I  had,  I  now  think, 
it  would  have  been  much  more  acceptable  to  G-od 
than  any  form  of  prayer  that  I  could  make  up  of  my- 
self; but  I  was  not  aware  of  that  at  the  time. 


LEMUEL   NOBTON.  10 1 

The  words  of  the  hymn  I  will  here  express  : 
"  The  fearful  soul  that  tires  and  faints* 

And  Walks  the  ways  of  God  no  more, 
Is  but  esteemed  almost  a  saint, 

And  makes  his  own  destruction  sure." 

As  I  have  just  said,  these  words  came  near  bring* 
ing  mc  to  the  ground.  They  were  to  me  like  a  clap 
of  thunder  in  a  clear  sky,  awfully  alarming  and  sig- 
nificant; but  what  could  I  do  ?  I  had  just  been 
trying  to  pray  as  well  I  as  could  ;  I  could  not  tell 
what  to  do,  but,  dear  reader,  I  will  tell  you  what  I 
did  do — I  did  as  thousands  before  me  had  done, 
and  as  thousands  since  have  done.  I  said  to  the 
blessed  Spirit,  as  one  said  a  good  many  hundred 
years  ago  to  an  inspired  apostle,  "  Go  thy  way  for 
this  time ;  when  I  have  a  more  convenient  season  I 
will  call  for  thee."     Acts  xxiv  :  25,  last  clause. 

The  reader  may  say,  "  What  could  you  have 
done  ?"  I  will  tell  you  what  I  might  have  done.  I 
might,  right  there  on  the  spot,  before  returning  to 
the  house,  have  smote  on  my  breast,  and  cried,  "  God 
be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner  ;"  and  this  was  just  what 
God  wanted  done,  for  it  was  a  time  of  reformation 
in  the  place,  and  many  were  inquiring  what  they 
should  do  to  be  saved,  and  they  needed  this  exam- 
ple of  penitence  set  before  them  to  stimulate  and 
encourage  them  to  seek  the  Lord  then,  while  he  was 
near.  Besides,  had  I  thus  obeyed  the  Spirit,  in- 
stead of  quenching  its  holy  influence,  I  might  have 
returned  to  the  house  rejoicing   in    a   Saviour's  love. 


102  ATTlOBIOGRAPHY    OT 

But,  instead  of  this,  I  put  the  Saviour  off  for  the 
present,  by  promising,  if  he  would  let  me  go  one 
voyage  more  and  return  safe,  I  would  then  attend 
to  the  great  salvation,  become  a  Christian,  have 
prayers  in  my  family,  and  be  a  religious  man. 

Having  made  this  promise,  conscience  became 
quiet,  and  I  thought  but  little  about  it  till  I  returned 
home  again  from  Liverpool  in  the  ship  in  which  I 
was  finally  cast  away.  Then  conscience  would  say, 
"  Now  fulfil  your  promise,  become  religious,  and 
pray  in  your  family."  But  no ;  I  was  not  quite 
ready  yet.  One  voyage  more,  and  then.  Thus  I 
went  on  procrastinating.  But  the  second  voyage 
was  a  terrible  one.  It  was  the  one  in  which  I  buried 
my  dear  brother  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean.  I  have 
already  told  you  what  a  terrible  day  that  was  to  me 
— the  day  on  which  he  died.  But  I  made  no  new 
promises — I  knew  that  would  be  insulting  God.  So 
I  made  the  best  of  it  I  could,  and  finally  returned 
safe  again,  reckless  of  former  vows.  I  went  on  as 
usual  till  I  entered  upon  the  last  voyage — the  one 
on  which  I  was  cast  away  and  barely  escaped  with 
my  life.  After  returning  home  from  this  long  and 
perilous  voyage,  in  which  I  came  so  very  near  losing 
my  life,  instead  of  feeling  thankful  to  my  kind  Pre- 
server, I  was  farther  from  it  than  ever.  So  much 
so  that  my  affectionate  wife  took,  notice  of  it,  and 
spoke  about  it  one  day  to  me,  saying,  "It  appears 
to  mc,  husband,  that  you  are  more  thoughtless  and 
indifferent  about  religious  things  than  I  ever  knew 
you   to   be."     I   replied,  it  was  even  so,  and  why  it 


LEMUEL   NORTON.  103 

should  be  so  I  could  not  tell ;  but  certain  it  was  I 
had  reached  a  climax  in  my  career  of  folly  in  which 
I  felt  no  fear  of  God  or  man,  though  I  felt  no  dis- 
position to  do  wrong  or  to  injure  any  one,  treated 
everybody  respectfully,  and  seemed  to  think  that  all 
was  well,  and  that  I  should  never  be  in  adversity. 
All  my  former  conviction  was  gone,  and  all  my 
solemn  promises  to  Jehovah  about  entirely  forgot- 
ten. Things  went  on  smoothly  in  this  way  for  some 
weeks,  and  I  was  quite  contented  with  the  condition 
of  affairs  around  me. 

One  evening  while  keeping  a  moderate  fire  in  the 
parlor  to  dry  the  plastering,  I  was  singing  to  several 
of  my  younger  brothers  one  of  my  old  favorite  sea 
songs,  when  suddenly  a  shock  struck  my  mind  to 
stop.  At  that  moment  (for  it  was  all  the  work  of  a 
moment,)  I  saw,  in  my  imagination,  a  very  small  sub- 
stance, no  larger  than  a  lady's  thimble,  start,  as  it 
were,  from  the  sky,  the  eye  of  my  mind  being  upon 
it  while  it  came  to  me  and  seemed  to  lodge  within 
me,  not,  however  affecting  me  in  the  least.  I  took 
no  more  notice  of  it  then,  neither  have  I  since  up  to 
the  present  day,  only  to  remember  that  it  was  in 
my  imagination  just  so.  Whether  it  was  absolute- 
ly anything  or  nothing,  I  cannot  say.  I  merely  men- 
tioned it  as  something  that  passed  through  my  mind 
at  the  moment. ,  I  relate  it  as  no  part  of  my  Chris- 
tian experience,  but  I  do  say,  from  that  moment 
what  I  call  my  Christian  experience  commenced. 

A  brother,  younger  than  I,  said  to  me,  "  Why 
don't  you  finish  singing  that  song,  Brother   Lemuel  ?" 


104  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

for  there  had  been  perfect  silence  for  about  one  min- 
ute. I  replied  to  him  that  I  should  never  sing  another 
carnal  song  while  earth  was  my  abode.  That  was 
forty-nine  years  ago,  and  I  have  never  broken  that 
promise,  if  it  indeed  was  a  promise.  Nothing  further 
took  place  that  evening.  Early  the  next  morning, 
before  the  sun  arose,  the  birds  in  the  grove  might 
have  seen  me  on  bended  knees,  engaged  in  solemn 
prayer  to  Almighty  God,  that  he  would  spare  me 
long  enough  to  repent  of  my  sins  and  secure  the 
salvation  of  my  soul.  From  that  blessed  day  up  to 
the  present  moment  I  have  been  a  man  of  praver. 

I  did  not  obtain  repentance  or  forgiveness  imme- 
diately, though,  like  Esau,  I  sought  carefully  with 
tears.  But  one  thing  I  resolved  to  do,  and  that  was, 
to  seek  for  it  the  remainder  of  my  days,  whether  they 
should  be  few  or  many.  I  had  a  great  deal  to  look 
over  —  I  had  been  a  great  offender  —  there  was  a 
terrible  black  catalogue  against  me.  There  was  dis- 
obedience to  my  parents — no  small  item  in  this  dark 
record  of  wickedness  I  had  to  overhaul ;  a  lack  of 
kindness  to  brothers  and  sisters,  playmates,  school- 
fellows, and  such  like ;  now  and  then  a  falsehood, 
and  sometimes  a  deliberate  lie,  even,  were  to  be  seen 
floating  on  the  wake  of  my  past  life  ;  profane  swear- 
ing, also,  was  here  and  there  to  be  seen  on  the  past ; 
late  hours,  when  I  ought  to  have  been  .on  shipboard  ; 
the  card  table,  the  dancing  floor,  and  a  measure  of 
intemperate  eating  and  drinking ;  besides  the  many 
sins  of  omission,  such  as  neglect  of  the  Bible  and 
religious  worship,  and  doing  good  to  others   when  I 


LEMUEL   NORTON.  105 

had  an  opportunity.  All  these,  and  many  more  that 
might  be  named,  were  in  the  past,  and  must  bo  re- 
pented of  or  remain  as  dead  weights  to  sink  the  soul 
down  deeper  and  deeper,  where  hope  nor  mercy 
could  ever  come. 

But  the  greatest  difficulty  of  all  in  the  way  of  my 
.salvation,  I  found  to  be  within,  and  I  could  say  as 
another  has  said  before  me  : 

*'  Here  on  my  heart  the  burden  lies, 
While  past  offenses  pain  my  eyes." 

Indeed,  the  language  of  my  heart  was,  "  What 
must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?"  I  read  the  Scriptures  care- 
fully, and  the  more  I  read  them  the  more  sure  I  was 
of  their  Divine  origin,  for  I  knew  that  no  man  or  set 
of  men  could  have  portrayed  my  character  and  con- 
dition with  such  exactness  as  they  did ;  and  the 
more  I  read,  the  worse  I  appeared  to  myself,  for  they 
did  indeed  show  myself  to  myself.  I  found  myself 
condemned  already,  and  the  wrath  of  God  abiding 
upon  me. 

There  tfas  no  revival  of  religion  in  the  place  where 
I  lived  at  this  time,  and  no  minister  lived  within  miles 
of  me.  Once  in  a  while,  to  be  sure,  a  travelling  min- 
ister would  pass  through  our  neighborhood  and 
preach  a  lecture,  but  nothing  seemed  to  reach  my 
case.  Christians  there  were  in  the  place,  who  some- 
times spoke  an  encouraging  word  to  me,  and  told 
jme  they  thought  I  should  have  religion  before  long. 
I  Sometimes  my  heart  would  seem  to  be  so  hard  that 
nothing  could  affect  it.  And  then  there  was  so  much 
6* 


106  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

unbelief,  and  so  much  pride,  I  seemed  to  be  bound, 
as  it  were  band  and  foot,  and  had  no  power  to  ex- 
tricate myself  from  this  awful  dilemma  into  which  I 
found  myself  plunged  by  my  sin.  But  I  continued 
to  hope  that  I  should  find  relief  sooner  or  later. 
Prayer  was  sometimes  almost  a  burden,  and  there 
was  such  a  want  of  sincerity  in  it  that  I  could  have 
no  confidence  in  it,  or  anything  else  that  I  could  do. 

The  fear  of  hell  and  a  future  state  was  not  what 
troubled  me,  though  there  might  have  been  some- 
thing of  that  kind  mixed  in  with  my  trouble.  But 
the  principal  difficulty  with  me  was  unreconciliation 
to  God.  We  seemed  to  be  antagonistical  to  each 
other ;  and  my  poor  heart,  in  spite  of  myself,  seemed 
to  rebel  against  the  Lord,  and  this  it  was  that  dis- 
tressed me. 

And  after  trying  many  days  and  nights  to  make 
myself  better,  and  finding  that  I,  if  anything,  grew 
worse,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  all  efforts  in  this 
direction  were  vain.  I  perceived  that  justification  by 
the  law  could  not  be,  that  my  righteousness  was  but 
worthless  rags  compared  with  the  requirements  of 
the  divine  law,  which  was  holy,  just,  and  good,  while 
I  was  carnal,  sold  under  sin  ;  "  For  the  good  that  I 
would  I  did  not,  and  what  I  hated  that  I  did."  Rom. 
vii.  15. 

About  this  time,  having  lost  all  confidence  in  my 
own  works,  though  I  continued  to  try  to  pray  as 
well  as  I  could,  I  felt  so  distressed  that  I  cried  right 
out  in  the  presence  of  my  wife  one  evening,  and 
said,  "  Oh,  that  God  would  come  this  night  and  have 


liEMUEL   NORTON.  107 

mercy  on  my  poor  soul  ."  This  wag  something  dif- 
ferent from  whatever  I  had  done  before  ;  it  gave  my 
wife  a  sudden  shock,  being  unlooked  for  from  such 
a  person  as  I  was.  To  say  the  least,  I  think  it  was 
not  more  than  twenty  or  thirty  minutes  after  this 
solemn  ejaculation  in  the  hearing  of  my  companion, 
before  my  mind  was  suddenly  caught  away,  and  I  was 
carried  as  quick  as  thought  to  take  a  retrospective 
view  of  the  past  events  of  my  life,  while  on  the  high 
seas — the  many  dangers  I  had  passed  through,  the 
wonderful  deliverances  I  had  experienced  at  the 
hand  of  God,  when  in  the  utmost  danger  aloft  reef- 
ing top-gallant  sails  while  braces  were  parting,  sails 
slatting,  the  yards  flying,  while  facing  the  cannon's 
mouth,  shot  whistling  by  me,  men  dying  around  me, 
dying  with  fevers,  repeatedly  cast  upon  a  lee  shore, 
drawn  safe  to  land  by  a  single  rope,  on  a  foreign 
shore,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing.  I  say,  almost  as 
quick  as  thought,  these  scenes  passed  before  me  in 
rapid  succession,  giving  me  such  a  striking  discov- 
ery of  the  matchless  power  and  goodness  of  God 
in  my  preservation  as  I  had  never  had  before.  I  at 
this  moment,  for  the  first  time,  discovered  that  God 
was  good,  supremely  good,  and  that  goodness  af- 
fected my  heart  as  it  had  never  been  before.  It 
broke  it  all  down,  so  that  I  exclaimed  aloud  in  as- 
tonishment, "  0,  how  good  the  Lord  is  !"  I  under- 
stood now  better  than  ever  before,  what  the  Scrip- 
ture means  when  it  says,  Rom.  ii.  4  :  "  Not  knowing 
that  the  goodness  of  God  leadeth  thee  to  repent- 
ance."    But  it  did  lead  me  to  repentance  unto  life, 


108  AUTOBIOGBAFinf   ov 

never  to  be  repented  of.  From  that  good  hour  I 
have  known  better  than  ever  to  indulge  any  hard 
thoughts  of  God.  All  ray  self  will  and  impudent 
stubbornness  was  gone ;  I  felt  completely  reconciled 
to  God,  and  willing  to  be  in  his  hand  like  clay  in  the 
hands  of  the  potter.  The  way  of  life  and  salvation 
through  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  appeared  so  glorious 
that  I  felt  perfectly  safe  and  happy.  My  miud, 
which  before,  for  days  and  weeks  had  been  like  the 
troubled  sea  when  it  cannot  rest,  at  once  became 
quiet  and  peaceful,  and  all  through  soul,  body,  and 
spirit,  I  experienced  a  great  calm. 

I  found  that,  being  justified  by  faith,  I  had  peace 
with  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  And 
having  had  but  little  rest  for  a  number  of  nights 
previous  to  this,  I  soon  fell  into  a  cpiiet  sleep,  from 
which  I  did  not  awake  till  the  morning  light  shone 
into  my  window. 

On  awaking  I  immediately  arose,  made  a  fire,  and 
took  and  opened  my  Bible.  The  exact  place  opened 
to  I  do  not  now  recollect,  but  I  was  astonished  to 
perceive  how  different  it  read  from  what  it  ever  did 
before.  Instead  of  being  against  me,  it  now  was  for 
me  ;  instead  of  condemning,  it  now  justified  me  ;  in  a 
word,  it  seemed  like  a  new  book.  But  I  soon  closed 
it,  and  hasted  away  to  my  father's  some  half  a  mile 
distant,  to  let  him  know  what  great  things  God  had 
done  for  me.  When  passing  by  my  brother's  house, 
he  wanted  to  know  why  I  made  such  haste.  I  told 
him  I  was  going  to  tell  my  father  what  I  had  expe- 
rienced.    He  said,  "  Why  not  tell  me  ?"     I  told  him 


LEMUEL  N0ET0N.  109 

he  would  not  understand  me  if  I  should,  and  hur- 
ried on  to  tell  him  who  had  offered  up  so  many 
prayers  in  my  behalf,  how  the  good  Lord  had  heard 
and  answered  them  all  in  bringing  me  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 

When  I  entered  the  house  my  father  was  just 
making  the  fire  on  the  hearth.  As  I  spoke  he 
looked  up  at  me,  and  when  I  had  finished  what  I 
then  had  to  say,  he  replied  with  tears  "I  think 
Lemuel,  you  have  good  reason  for  a  hope."  I  hard- 
ly comprehended  what  he  meant  by  a  hope,  though 
his  remark  was  exactly  what  it  should  be,  but  I  was 
rejoicing  in  the  God  of  my  salvation,  therefore  I 
could  hardly  understand  what  the  word  hope  meant. 
Others  soon  came  into  the  kitchen,  and  we  rejoiced 
together  in  God.  I  want  the  reader  of  my  Chris- 
tian experience  as  I  have  here  now  related  it,  to  un- 
derstand that  on  the  12th  day  of  January,  1812,  at 
about  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  I  was  born  again, 
and  translated  from  the  kingdom  of  darkness  into 
the  kingdom  of  God's  dear  Son ;  that  I  then  passed 
from  death  unto  life, — that  old  things  passed  away, 
and  that  to  me  all  things  became  new,  and  that  all 
things  were  of  God,  who  made  all  things,  and  who, 
of  his  own  will,  had  made  me  a  new  creature  in 
Christ  Jesus,  and  that  it  was  wholly  to  the  praise  of 
the  glory  of  his  grace  tl/at  I  had  become  a  Chris- 
tian ;  for  had  he  never  called  after  me  again  after  I 
was  shipwrecked  and  returned  home  the  last  time, 
I  should  never  have  become  a  true  believer  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  but  should  have  died  in  my  sins, 


110  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

and  where  Christ  is  gone  I  should  never  have  come. 

What  reason  I  have  to  praise  the  Lord  who,  hy 
the  power  of  His  grace  (not  hy  works  of  righteous- 
ness which  I  had  done)  snatched  me  as  a  hrand  from 
the  burning,  and  put  a  new  song  in  my  mouth,  even 
praise  unto  God. 

The  June  following,  which  was  in  1812,  receiv- 
ing an  invitation  to  unite  with  the  Baptist  Church 
in  a  neighboring  town,  I  told  the  minister  I  must 
read  the  New  Testament  carefully  through  to  know 
which  of  the  two  churches  was  right  about  baptism, 
for  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  be  baptized,  and  as  there 
was  a  Baptist  Church  and  a  Congregational  Church 
both  a  like  distance  from  me,  and  as  they  differed 
very  much  about  this  holy  ordinance  of  the  church 
of  God,  I  wanted  exceedingly  to  know  which  of  the 
two  was  right ;  accordingly  I  wanted  time  to  read  for 
myself. 

My  anxiety  for  sinners,  that  they  might  come  to 
Christ  and  have  salvation,  was  very  great,  and  it 
somehow  appeared  to  me  as  though  I  could  tell 
them  just  how  to  proceed  in  order  to  be  converted, 
and  this  I  often  tried  to  do.  But  it  all  seemed  strange 
to  them ;  they  could  not  understand  the  things  of  the 
Spirit  because  they  are  spiritually  discerned 

I  was  holding  prayer-meetings  in  the  neigbor- 
hood  where  I  lived  as  often  as  once  a  week.  In 
these  I  used  to  read  a  sermon  from  a  book  entitled 
Burder's  Village  Sermons,  and  excellent  sermons 
they  were,  too.  I  used  to  enter  so  fully  into  the 
spirit   of  them  while   reading  that  the   people  seemed 


LEMTTEL  NORTON.  Ill 

to  take  about  the  same  interest  in  them  as  though 
the  author  of  them  had  been  present,  delivering 
them  himself.  After  getting  through  with  the  ser- 
mon, I  used  frequently  to  make  some  further  remarks 
in  connection  with  the  subject  treated  in  the  ser- 
mon, which  I  think  were  also  well  received. 

Soon  after  my  conversion  it  was  impressed  upon 
my  mind  to  pray  in  my  family.  This  seemed  to  be 
very  crossing,  and  I  hardly  knew  how  to  begin  this 
work  of  family  religion,  yet  I  felt  satisfied  it  was 
my  duty  to  read  my  Bible,  and  pray  with  my  fami- 
ly. Finally,  I  set  a  day  to  commence.  On  the 
Lord's  Day  morning  I  thought  would  be  a  suitable 
time  for  that  purpose,  but  when  the  morning  came, 
my  reluctance  was  so  great  that  I  put  it  off  another 
week,  and  when  the  second  Sabbath  came,  aversion 
to  this  duty  still  continued.  I  promised  once  more 
that  the  next  Sabbath  day  should  find  me  on  my 
knees  engaged  in  prayer  with  and  for  my  family ; 
but  when  the  day  came,  notwithstanding  I  had  been 
praying  to  God  every  day  in  secret  to  give  me 
strength  to  take  up  this  cross,  I  strangely  dreaded 
to  try  to  pray  before  my  wife  and  two  or  three  little 
children  that  we  then  had. 

When  I  awoke  from  sleep  it  came  with  force  on 
my  mind  that  I  must  pray  in  my  family  that  day  or 
displease  God.  This  I  could  not  think  of  doing,  so  I 
resolved,  live  or  die,  I  would  try  to  pray  in  the  even- 
ing. Towards  night,  having  at  hand  a  book  in 
which  there  were  some  family  prayers,  I  thought  I 
would    write  off  one    of   these,  making  such  altera- 


112  AUT013I0GEAPHY    OF 

tions  as  would  render  the  prayer  appropriate  to  our 
circumstances,  and  would  commit  it  to  memory,  and 
would  kneel  down  and  say  that  Accordingly  I 
commenced  writing,  and  wrote  ten  lines  across  the 
paper,  and  thought  I  would  commit  that  to  memory 
first,  afid  then  write  and  commit  the  remainder,  but 
to  my  utter  astonishment  I  could  not  commit  a  sin- 
gle line.  I  folded  it  up  and  put  it  into  the  fire,  rose 
up,  knelt  down  on  the  floor,  and  there,  for  the  first 
time  in  the  presence  of  any  one,  I  prayed  as  well 
as  I  could  with  such  words  as  I  could  command, 
and  then  rose  up,  feeling  some  better  in  my  mind 
for  having  obeyed  the  Lord  to  the  best  of  my  abili- 
ty in  that  thing.  But  oh  !  alas  !  what  a  prayer  was 
that.  It  seemed  to  have  neither  beginning  or  end, 
or  anything  else.  I  was  astonished  to  think  I 
could  not  pray  better  than  that,  and  felt  pity  for  my 
poor  wife  that  she  should  have  to  hear  such  language 
addressed  to  the  Almighty. 

Anxiety  for  sinners  increased  so  in  my  mind  that 
I  thought  to  try  to  have  prayer  meetings  in  the 
neighborhood ;  and,  with  the  advice  of  others,  I 
commenced  holding  evening  meetings.  In  these  I 
used  to  read  to  the  people  Burder's  Village  Ser- 
mons, which  were  very  suitable  on  such  occasions, 
and  were  listened  to  with  great  interest  by  the  people. 

Young  people  and  all  classes  flocked  to  these 
meetings,  and  they  seemed  to  be  attended  with  much 
interest.  An  aged  Baptist  deacon  called  one  day 
to  see  mo,  and  while  relating  to  him  some  of  my  ex- 
perience, and  how  I  believed  the   atonement  intended 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  113 

alike  for  all,  he  remarked  that  if  he  believed  so  he 
should  be  a  Universalist.  This  gave  me  a  terrible 
shock,  for  I  could  not  believe  in  Universalism  any- 
how, it  was  so  contrary  to  what  the  Bible  had  taught 
me.  But  as  the  Bible  taught  me  that  Christ  tasted 
death  for  every  man,  that  he  gave  His  life  a  ransom 
for  all,  and  that  whosoever  believed  on  Him  should 
not  perish,  but  should  have  everlasting  life,  I  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  only  reason  why  one  was 
saved  and  another  lost,  was  simply  because  one  be- 
lieved and  obeyed  the  Gospel,  while  another  did  not. 

With  these  views  of  Divine  truth,  I  went  on  try- 
ing to  persuade  sinners  to  believe  in  the  Saviour,  and 
whenever  I  had  an  opportunity  to  speak  in  any 
meeting  after  hearing  a  sermon,  I  used  to  try  to  im- 
press it  on  the  minds  of  sinners  that  they  were  to 
blame  for  not  repenting  and  believing  in  the  Lord 
Jesus   Christ. 

In  June,  after  my  conversion  in  January,  Father 
Case  came  into  the  neighborhood  and  held  some 
meetings.  I  listened  to  his  preaching  with  interest. 
He  was  an  aged  minister  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 
and  although  not  very  learned,  he  was  very  pious, 
and  his  labors  were  greatly  blessed  wherever  he 
preached.  He  gave  me  some  good  advice,  and  on 
leaving  in  the  morning  after  putting  up  with  me  all 
night,  he  said  he  hoped  I  should  take  up  my  crosa 
and  follow  Christ  and  be  baptized.  This  I  was 
willing  to  do  as  soon  as  I  could  find  out  which  of 
the  two  denominations  was  right  about  what  con- 
stituted  baptism,  as   there  were  Baptist   and  Congr  ;>- 


114  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

gational  churches  in  the  neighboring  town  of  Sedg- 
wick, where  I  should  have  to  go  in  order  to  unite 
with  some  church,  which  I  thought  it  was  my  duty 
to  do.  Accordingly  I  commenced  reading  the  New 
Testament  for  that  purpose,  to  find  out  whether  in 
the  days  of  the  apostles  they  baptised  people  by 
sprinkling  or  by  immersion,  and  having  read  very 
carefully  to  the  sixth  chapter  of  llomans,  and  while 
reading  in  that  what  the  apostle  says  in  the  fourth 
and  fifth  verses,  I  found  no  occasion  to  read  any 
farther  for  that  purpose,  but  with  perfect  ease  per- 
ceived that  nothing  short  of  entire  immersion  of  the 
whole  body  in  water  could  answer  the  design  of 
water  baptism.  Accordingly  soon  after  this  I  was 
received  into  the  Baptist  church  of  Christ,  in  Sedg- 
wick, and  baptized  by  the  venerable  Father  Case. 

I  remained  a  member  of  this  church  until  a  num- 
ber of  us  were  dismissed  from  it  to  help  constitute  a 
church  in  Brooksville,  where  the  Lord  had  poured 
out  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  converted  a  goodly  number 
of  souls  in  the  vicinity  where  I  resided,  and  where 
I  had  been  converted  some  five  years  before. 

In  those  days  there  was  one  thing  that  used  to 
astonish  me  as  much,  and  perhaps  I  might  say  more, 
than  any  one  thing  olse,  and  that  was,  good  people 
appeared  to  take  so  little  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
sinners.  I  used,  when  seeing  a  good  brother  or  a 
deacon  passing,  to  step  to  the  road,  and  speak  to  him 
about  the  goodness  of  God,  and  how  happy  I  felt 
in  his  love,  but  to  my  surprise,  instead  of  joining 
me    in    this,    he    would    often    reply  by   saying : — 


LEMUEL   NOBTOtf.  115 

"  Well,  Brother  Norton,  you  are  living  on  your 
bounty  money  now;  you  won't  always  feel  as  you 
do  now,"  and  so  the  subject  would  be  laid  aside,  and 
something  else  introduced  instead  of  it,  or  the  brother 
would  pass  on  his  way. 

Though  this  would  sometimes  cool  my  zeal  for 
the  time  being,  yet  it  never  had  any  lasting  effect 
on  my  mind.  I  knew  the  religion  of  Christ  would 
never  wear  out,  that  it  was  more  precious  than  gold, 
yea,  than  much  fine  gold.  And  that  whatever  it  might 
be  to  others,  it  was  everything  to  me. 

I  wanted  every  person,  young  and  old,  to  share 
in  its  blessedness,  for  well  I  knew,  that  no  one  could 
be  happy  without  it,  and  that  having  it,  all  other 
things  would  be  added  to  it ;  this  I  was  plainly  taught 
in  the  Scriptures  of  Divine  truth. 

I  sometimes  felt  astonished  that  even  ministers  of 
the  Gospel  appeared  to  take  no  more  interest  in 
the  conversion  of  precious  souls.  I  recollect  asking 
one  that  I  thought  much  of,  (and  indeed  I  thought 
much  of  them  all,  and  have  to  this  day,  with  a 
few  exceptions)  to  appoint  a  meeting  at  my  house, 
and  come  and  preach  to  us,  and  I  would  circulate 
the  notice,  and  have  as  many  attend  as  possible. 
Accordingly  he  did.  When  the  evening  arrived,  the 
house  was  well  filled.  The  preacher,  as  I  thought, 
preached  well,  making  use  of  some  of  the  very  ar- 
guments to  persuade  sinners  to  seek  the  Lord,  that  I 
had  in  my  own  mind,  that  I  supposed  no  one  but 
myself  had  ever  thought  of.  There  I  sat,  expect- 
ing every  minute  when    I    should   see  tears   flow,  and 


11  6  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    Of 

here  some  poor  soul  cry  out  for  mercy,  when  in  fact 
they  set  there  as  unmoved  as  if  some  boy  had  been 
playing  on  a  jewsharp. 

I  then  began  to  sink  in  my  expectations,  and  tried 
as  well  as  I  could  to  account  for  this  dreadful  apa- 
thy among  sinners,  and  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
they  had  eyes  but  did  not  see,  they  had  ears  but 
they  did  not  hear.  This  led  me  to  think  of  this 
text:  "Hear  and  your  soul  shall  live."  (Isa.  iv.  3). 
But  there  was  one  fact  that  astonished  me  more 
than  everything  else  connected  with  this  meeting. 
The  truth  that  had  been  preached  that  evening  by 
that  servant  of  Christ  I  know  to  be  the  Gospel,  and 
that  it  would  be  a  savor  of  life  unto  life,  or  of 
death  unto  death,  unto  those  who  heard  it,  and  see- 
ing so  little  prospect  of  its  doing  good,  it  caused 
me  to  feel  sad  even  to  weeping ;  but  that  minister 
appeared  perfectly  satisfied  with  the  meeting,  and 
With  everybody  who  attended  it.  This  was  more 
than  I  could  then  understand,  and  in  fact,  I  never 
to  this  day,  have  been  able  to  understand  how  min- 
isters, who  profess  to  believe  that  the  Gospel  is  God's 
last  remedy  for  man's  salvation,  and  that  it  is  cer- 
tain to  kill  or  cure,  that  is  to  say,  to  make  people 
better  or  worse — I  say,  how  any  one  can  administer 
this  powerful  prescription,  so  to  speak,  and  yet  feel  a 
measure  of  indifference  about  the  effect  produced,  is 
to  me  quite  inexplicable. 

In  the  summer  of  181G  there  was  a  glorious  re- 
vival of  religion  in  the  town  of  Sedgwick,  about  six 
or  seven  niiles  cast  of  my  place  of  residence.     I  lav- 


LEMUEL   NORTON.  117 

ing  a  great  desire  to  see  some  young  converts,  as  I 
had  never  seen  one  since  my  conversion,  I  immedi- 
ately, on  hearing  that  a  number  of  young  persons 
had  experienced  religion,  went  over  to  see  them, 
and  so  strong  was  my  affection  for  these  young  dis- 
ciples of  the  Lord  Jesus,  that  I  was  loth  to  leave 
the  place.  I  rejoiced  with  them  with  great  joy. 
Here  I  want  to  say,  that  notwithstanding  what  great 
things  God  had  done  for  me  in  taking  me  out  of  the 
horrid  pit  and  miry  clay  of  sin,  and  bringing  me 
into  the  glorious  light  and  liberty  of  the  Gospel — 
I  say,  notwithstanding  all  this,  I  frequently  had 
doubts  and  fears  lest  after  all  I  might  be  deceived, 
and  have  taken  up  with  something  short  of  saving 
conversion  to  God,  but  among  these  young  converts 
I  had  all  my  doubts  and  fears  removed.  I  loved 
them  so  well  that  I  knew  I  had  passed  from  death 
unto  life,  because  I  loved  the  brethren.  After  re- 
maining a  few  days  with  them,  I  went  homo  rejoicing, 
on  account  of  what  the  Lord  was  doing  in  that  place, 
but  oh  !  how  strong  was  my  desire  that  He  would  in 
mercy  visit  Brooksville ! 

Soon  after  returning  homo,  I  was  called  upon  to 
stay  one  night  with  an  aged  person  who  was  very 
sick.  The  night  following  she  died,  I  suppose  with- 
out any  hope  in  Christ.  At  her  funeral,  after  the 
sermon,  I  arose  and  made  a  few  remarks  about  the 
importance  of  seeking  religion  while  in  youth. 
Tears  flowed  freely  from  many  eyes,  and  the  result  of 
that  person's  death  was  the  striking   under  conviction 


118  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

seven  young  men,  who  afterwards  were  brought  to  re- 
joice in  the  God  of  their  salvation-  From  this,  the 
work  of  the  Lord  commenced,  and  a  glorious  revival 
of  religion  followed,  in  which  many  scores  of  sinners 
were  brought  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  pow- 
er and  dominion  of  sin  into  the  glorious  light  and  liber- 
ty of  the  Gospel.* 

My  mind  was  at  this  time  greatly  exercised  about 
entering  more  fully  into  the  work  of  trying  to  save, 
— that  is,  trying  instrumentally — to  save  souls ;  so 
much  so  that  I  wanted  to  be  all  the  while  employed 
about  something,  either  directly  or  indirectly  con- 
nected with  this  great  and  glorious  work.  Every 
now  and  then  texts  of  Scripture  would  strike  my 
mind  with  great  force.  I  would  see  such  beauty 
and  glory  in  the  plan  of  salvation  as  would  lead  me 
to  have  a  strong  desire  to  go  and  tell  others  of  those 
precious  truths.  I  thought  to  be  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel  was  one  of  tho  greatest  blessings,  the  great- 
est privileges  a  mortal  man  could  come  into  posses- 
sion of  in  this  world,  and  that  I  would  prefer  being 
a  humble  minister  of  the  Gospel,  to  being  a  king 
on  a  throne.  Indeed,  I  had  such  a  desire  for  the 
work  of  a  Minister  of  Christ  that  at  times  it  became 
almost  overwhelming,  while  at  the  same  time  it 
looked  almost  impossible,  that  one  so  far  removed 
from  any  qualifications  whatever  for  such  a  holy 
work,  could  ever  be  successful  if  he  engaged  in 
it.  I  often  thought  of  one  expression  of  the  Apos- 
tle Paul :  "  If  any  man  desireth  the  office  of  a  bishop, 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  119 

he  desireth  a  good  work."  (Tim.  iii.  1.)  The  apostle 
then  goes  on  to  say  what  the  qualifications  of  a  bishop 
must  he. 

I  have  no  doubt  now  but  that  the  Lord  was  then 
calling  me  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  though  I  was 
not  fully  aware  of  it  at  that  time.  My  brethren  in 
the  church  had  such  thoughts  at  that  time,  as  they 
have  since  told  me.  I  never  heard  any  voice  speak- 
ing to  me  as  one  man  speaks  to  another,  saying, 
"  Go  thou  and  preach  the  kingdom  of  God,"  but  I 
had  the  Holy  Spirit  operating  powerfully  within  me, 
showing  me  the  lost  state  of  sinners,  and  how  much 
they  needed  the  Gospel  in  order  that  they  might  be 
saved.  The  church  and  people  of  God,  I  perceived, 
needed  the  sincere  milk  of  the  Word,  that  they  might 
grow  thereby. 

I  used  to  improve  my  gift  as  well  as  I  could  when 
an  opportunity  presented,  in  trying  to  encourage 
young  converts  especially  to  persevere,  and  older 
saints  to  be  up  and  doing,  working  out  their  own  sal- 
vation with  fear  and  trembling.  And  sometimes  I  did 
take  great  satisfaction  in  so  doing ;  at  other  times  it 
would  be  very  different  with  me,  and  I  would  be  afraid 
that  I  had  done  more  hurt  than  good  by  speaking. 
Still  there  seemed  to  be  a  propelling  power  urging  me 
forward  to  speak,  so  that  if  I,  through  the  fear  of 
man  or  from  any  other  consideration,  neglected  my  du- 
ty in  this  way,  I  would  leave  the  meeting  under  great 
dejection  of  mind,  feeling  more  like  a  criminal  than 
anything  else. 


120  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

There  seemed  to  be  a  strange  inconsistency  in  my 
mind.  I  seemed  to  be  in  a  strait  between  two  op- 
posing inclinations,  one  to  go  forward  and  try  to  teach 
sinners  th  e  way  of  salvation — the  other  to  be  silent, 
and  say  nothing  to  them. 

I  carefully  watched  the  providences  of  God,  and 
whatever  they  indicated  I  considered  of  importance 
in  coming  to  a  decision  on  this  important  question 
of  duty,  for  it  had  now  become  a  subject  of  solemn 
inquiry  whether  it  was  my  duty  to  commence  try- 
ing to  preach  the  Gospel  or  not.  Many  things 
seemed  to  favor  such  a  course — other  things  looked 
unfavorable.  When  I  did  try  to  speak  in  meeting, 
it  was  heard  with  interest  by  the  people,  and  seemed 
to  edify  and  benefit  them,  though  it  would  look  very 
poor  to  me. 

One  forbidding  circumstance  was,  I  had  a  family 
to  provide  for,  and  I  never  had  the  most  distant 
thought  of  any  pecuniary  aid  for  preaching  until  af- 
ter I  engaged  in  the  work. 

But  the  great  question  with  me  was,  "  Docs  the 
Lord  require  it  of  you  to  go,  and  as  much  as  in  you 
is,  to  preach  the  kingdom  of  Gfod  ?"  Here  was  the 
question.  "  No  man,  no  matter  what  his  talents  or 
his  abilities  in  other  respects  are,  has  any  right  to 
take  this  honor  to  himself  any  more  than  Aaron  had." 
(Thess.  v.  4). 

In  order  that  I  might  enjoy  every  possible  facili- 
ty for  deciding  this  great  question,  my  brethren, 
when   there   was  an   ordination   called   for   anywhere 


LEMUEL   NORTON.  121 

in  the  vicinity,  and  a  delegation  from  the  church  re- 
quested, would  be  sure  and  send  me  as  one  of  that 
number,  that  I  might  hear  the  experience  of  others 
who  were  about  being  inducted  into  the  sacred  of- 
fice. Whether  these  opportunities  were  of  much 
benefit  to  me  or  not,  I  can  hardly  say.  I  recollect 
one  time,  however,  of  going  to  attend  the  ordina- 
tion of  the  Rev.  Edward  Garter,  of  West  Brooks- 
ville,  where  a  very  interesting  season  of  public  wor- 
ship was  enjoyed.  After  the  ordination  was  attend- 
ed to,  while  making  my  way  home  through  a  piece 
of  lonely  woods,  my  mind  being  absorbed  on  the 
question  of  duty — whether  I  was  willing  to  go  and 
preach  the  kingdom  of  God  or  no,  provided  the 
Lord  required  it  of  me, — all  at  once  there  appeared 
in  my  imagination  a  flock  of  lambs,  every  other  one 
of  which  was  so  poor  in  flesh,  and  withal  so  feeble 
for  the  want  of  suitable  food,  that  they  greatly  ex- 
cited my  pity,  and  I  began  to  conclude  if  they  were 
all  in  this  miserable  condition,  I  would  try  somehow 
or  other  to  relieve  them.  While  casting  about  in 
my  mind  how  this  could  be  done,  they  at  once  be- 
came converts,  and  every  one  of  them  as  poor  as  the 
poorest.  This  affected  me  exceedingly.  Duty  now 
stared  me  in  the  face.  These  converts  represented 
everybody  who  was  starving  for  the  want  of  that 
gospel  which  I  had  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and 
which  I  ought  to  preach.  I  then  and  there  conclud- 
ed that  I  would  henceforth  try  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel. 

6 


122  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

In  1817,  on  Thanksgiving  Day,  was  the  first  time 
that  I  took  a  text  and  tried  to  explain  it  to  the 
church.  The  day  previous  to  this  I  was  returning 
home  from  a  journey,  and  while  travelling  along  the 
road  alone,  these  words  passed  gently  through  my 
mind :  "  Only  fear  the  Lord  and  serve  him  in  truth, 
with  all  your  heart;  for  consider  how  great  things 
he  hath  done  for  you."  (1  Samuel  xii.  24).  These 
words,  so  full  of  precious  truth,  so  full  of  encour- 
agement to  the  church  and  people  of  God,  looked 
to  me  very  suitable  for  the  foundation  of  a  religious 
discourse  for  the  next  day,  being  Thanksgiving  Day. 
Accordingly  I  resolved  on  making  some  remarks 
from  these  words  if  an  opportunity  was  given. 
Having  no  pastor,  we  held  social  meetings,  where 
all  had  the  privilege  of  improving  their  gifts  as 
they  thought  proper.  Being  clerk  of  the  church, 
the  deacons  put  it  to  me  to  read  for  the  church. 
On  being  assembled  together  at  the  usual  hour,  the 
acting  deacon  passed  the  Bible  to  my  hand,  request- 
ing me  to  read  a  certain  Psalm  which  he  named, 
observing  at  the  same  time  that  if  I  had  any  light 
upon  it,  or  any  other  passage  of  Scripture,  he  would 
like  to  have  me  make  some  remarks  therefrom. 
This  was  precisely  what  I  wanted  to  hear  him  say, 
though  I  had  often  heard  him  say  the  same  before. 
Accordingly,  after  reading  the  Psalm  alluded  to,  I 
turned  to  the  text  above  named,  and  read  with  much 
solemnity  those  precious  words  which  had  been  food 
to  my  hungry  soul  the  day  before.     And  if  ever  words 


LEMUEL   NORTON.  123 

found  place  in  every  heart,  these  I  think  did,  for  the 
attention  given  to  them,  and  to  what  followed,  was  pro- 
found indeed. 

I  remarked,  First,  What  God  had  done  for  his  an- 
cient people,  and  what  he  had  done  for  us. 

Secondly,  What  a  little  he  required  of  us  in  re- 
turn. 

Thirdly,  What  that  little  was,  merely  to  fear  him, 
and  to  be  sincere  and  thorough  in  our  service  to  him. 

I  spoke  just  twenty  minutes  from  these  words 
with  much  freedom,  when  all  at  once  I  found  noth- 
ing further  to  say,  and  took  my  seat.  From  this  day 
forward  it  was  understood  that  I  had  commenced 
preaching  the  gospel,  a  fact  that  I  had  no  desire  to 
contradict. 

On  the  16th  of  January,  1817,  the  church  thought 
proper  to  give  me  license  to  preach  the  gospel,  and 
that  the  reader  may  here  see  how  such  a  thing 
was  done  forty-four  years  ago,  I  will  transcribe  in- 
to this  book  the  entire  license,  which  now  lies  before 
me  : 

To  all  whom  it  may   concern  : 

This  is  to  certify  that  the  bearer,  Lemuel  Norton,  is  a 
member  of  this  church  in  regular  standing,  and  having  a  be- 
lief that  the  Lord  has  called  him  to  preach  the  gospel,  and 
we  having  gained  satisfactory  evidence  of  the  same,  do  this 
day  grant  him  license  to  go  forth  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord, 
and  improve  his  gift  in  that  way  which  he  shall  think  to  be 
most  for  the  glory  of  God,  the  advancement  of  ihe  Redeem- 
er's kingdom,  and  the  good  of  immortal  souls.    Our  pray- 


124  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

ers  go  with  him,  that  the  Lord  will  ever  be  with,  strengthen, 
encourage,  and  enable  him  to  perform  the  arduous  work  of 
the  ministry  with  faithfulness  and  zeal ,  that  he  may  see  the 
pleasure  of  the  Lord  prosper  in  his  hands.  And  now,  breth- 
ren and  people,  we  recommend  him  to  you.  lieceive  him  as 
the  servant  of  Christ,  and  as  the  laborer  is  worthy  of  his 
hire,  and  those  that  preach  the  Gospel  should  live  by  the 
Gospel,  you  will  grant  him  all  that  encouragement  and  assist- 
ance which  the  nature  of  his  situation  and  circumstances  may 
require. 

Done  in   behalf  of  the   Second  Baptist   Church  in  Sedgwick, 
January  16th,  1817. 

Signed  by  order  of  the  Church,' 

AMOS   ALLEN,   Pastor. 

Solomon  Billings,  )    -p. 

Abel  Billings,  \    Deacons. 

After  this  I  used  to  hold  meetings  in  different 
places,  wherever  it  appeared  to  be  my  duty,  and 
where  the  people  desired  it — frequently  in  my  fath- 
er's house,  and  wherever  there  was  a  destitute  church 
I  used  to  supply  them  occasionally.  On  one  occas- 
ion I  preached  at  my  father's  house  on  the  Sabbath 
from  the  text,  "Unto  you,  therefore,  which  believe, 
He  is  precious."  (1  Peter  ii.  7).  I  enjoyed  much 
freedom  in  speaking  from  these  words.  One  woman, 
who  seemed  rather  puzzled  at  hearing  others  speak  fa- 
vorably of  the  discourse,  said  she  had  the  sermon  at 
home  in  her  house. 

About  a  year  after  I  experienced  religion,  my 
brother  Noah,  who  afterwards  became  a  Baptist 
minister,  experienced  the  same   grace,  and    my  wife 


LEMUEL   NOETON.  125 

also ;  they  were  baptized  soon  after  by  Rev.  Lemu- 
el Jackson,  a  traveling  minister,  and  an  excellent  good 
man. 

One  special  providence  of  God,  which  I  ought  to 
have  related  before,  I  will  introduce  now.  Immedi- 
ately after  peace  with  Great  Britain,  after  the  war 
of  1812  took  place,  I  was  called  upon  to  help  rig 
and  fit  for  sea  the  largest  ship  ever  built  at  Castine, 
and  had  engaged  to  go  out  as  first  mate  of  her. 
This  was  before  I  commenced  to  preach  the  gospel. 
While  preparing  this  ship  for  sea,  I  boarded  with  the 
man  who  built  her  about  three  weeks.  She  was  a 
well-built  ship,  new  and  strong,  but  from  some  cause 
or  other,  I  could  not  tell  why,  I  felt  as  though  it 
would  not  be  best  for  me  to  go  to  sea  in  that  ship, 
and  not  only  so,  but  that  it  would  not  be  safe  for  me 
to  go  in  her.  So  strong  was  this  impression  on  my 
mind  that  I  could  not  rest  well  in  my  sleep  at  night. 
Finally,  a  day  or  two  before  the  ship  was  ready  for 
sea,  I  told  the  owner  I  wanted  him  to  let  me  off 
from  going  out  in  the  ship ;  my  things  were  already 
on  board  the  ship,  and  I  had  been  expecting  all  the 
time  to  go  in  her.  The  owner  was  some  surprised 
to  discover  my  disinclination  to  go,  and  wanted  an 
explanation.  I  told  him  I  had  none  to  give,  but 
that  if  he  would  give  me  up,  and  consider  our 
agreement  null  and  void,  I  would  find  a  man  to  take 
my  place,  who  I  had  no  doubt  would  be  entirely  ac- 
ceptable to  the  captain  and  all  concerned.  To  this 
he    finally    agreed.      A  brother    of    mine,    younger 


126  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OP 

than  I,  who  was  about  to  go,  when  he  perceived 
that  I  was  not  going  in  the  ship,  wished  to  know  if 
I  thought  he  had  better  go  or  not.  I  told  him  I 
could  not  advise  him  at  all  about  it,  but  to  do  as  he 
thought  best  under  the  circumstances.  He  went— 
they  all  went — but  never  returned.  The  ship  was 
sold  in  New  York,  the  officers  and  crew  took  pas- 
sage in  a  schooner  belonging  in  Portsmouth,  bound 
to  Boston.  She  went  on  shore  off  Boston  Light, 
and  every  soul,  being  twenty-two  in  all,  perished  in 
a  severe  snow  storm.  When  the  sad  tidings  reached 
me  one  evening  at  the  door  of  my  house,  no  one  can 
tell  how  I  felt  for  my  dear  brother,  who  but  a  few 
weeks  before,  had  so  inquiringly  asked  my  advice 
about  going  in  that  ship.  And  when  I  came  to  re- 
view my  own  feelings  and  impressions  about  going  in 
her,  I  could  but  acknowledge  the  special  interposition 
of  Divine  Providence  in  my  escape  ;  for  had  I  gone, 
I  should  have  done  as  they  did,  and  should  have  been 
lost.  Never  after  this  did  I  attempt  a  voyage  at  sea, 
but  came  to  the  conclusion  that  heaven  had  something 
else  for  me  to  do. 


LEMUEL   NOBTON.  127 


CHAPTER    VI. 

From  the  time  I  was  licensed  to  preach,  to  the 
time  of  my  ordination,  I  visited  several  islands  of  the 
sea  in  Penobscot  Bay.  Among  these  were  Vinal- 
haven  and  Islesborough.  I  hired  a  boat  of  one  of 
my  neighbors,  and  started  one  day  for  Vinalhaven; 
on  my  way  thither,  I  met  a  head  wind,  and  must 
either  return  home  or  go  to  Islesborough.  I  con- 
cluded to  visit  Islesborough,  and  soon  found  myself 
safely  landed  on  that  beautiful  isle  of  the  sea. 

There  I  remained  nine  days,  and  preached  eleven 
times.  The  minister,  the  Rev.  Lemuel  Rich,  had  left 
them  a  few  months  before,  and  moved  off.  This 
rendered  my  visit  very  acceptable  to  them.  This 
island  is  about  twelve  miles  long,  and  all  the  way 
from  one  to  two  miles  broad,  (containing  seventy- 
five  families).  The  people  came  from  all  parts  of  the 
island  to  hear  the  converted  sailor  preach,  who, 
about  seven  years  before,  when  mate  of  a  ship,  they 
had  seen  come  on  shore,  and  with  the  captain  take 
a  seat  in  one  of  their  pews,  and  listen  to  a  sermon 
delivered  by  this  same  Mr.  Rich  we  spoke  of  as 
having  recently  removed  from  the  island.  It  was 
almost  amusing  to  see  with  what  intense  interest 
they  watched  every  gesture,  and  listened  to  every 
word  that  fell  from  the  speaker's  lips.  Never  shall 
I  forget  my  feelings  when  ascending  into  that  pulpit. 


128  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   07 

I  tried  to  think  of  the  text,  but  not  a  word  of  that 
sermon  could  I  possibly  call  to  mind,  that  I  had 
heard  only  a  few  short  years  before  delivered  from 
that  desk. 

I  could  but  think  how  different  the  position  I  now 
sustained,  to  what  it  was  then.  Then  I  entered  that 
house  as  a  wicked  sailor,  though  mate  of  a  fine  ship 
that  lay  off  the  shore  right  in  sight,  within  half  a 
mile  of  the  meeting-house ;  now  I  entered  it  as  a 
servant  of  the  most  High  God,  to  show  sinners  the 
way  of  salvation,  and  spake  to  them  from  the  blessed 
words  :  "  It  is  good  for  me  to  draw  nigh  to  God." 
Psalm  lxxiii.  28.  Oh  !  how  happy  my  soul  felt  while 
telling  them  of  the  blessedness  of  nearness  to  God. 
I  was  called  upon  while  here  to  attend  a  funeral ;  a 
woman  died  and  was  brought  to  the  middle  of  the 
island  to  be  interred.  The  house  was  crowded.  My 
text  was,  "  Prepare  to  meet  thy  God."  It  was  a 
weeping  time.  I  noticed  the  lady  of  the  house  (for 
the  meeting  was  in  the  house  of  the  brother  of  the 
deceased),  sat  bathed  in  tears,  all  the  while  trying 
to  set  before  them  what  constituted  a  preparation  to 
meet  God.  After  meeting,  she  informed  me  that 
she  had,  till  quite  recently,  been  living  on  an  outer 
point  of  the  island,  where  she  did  not  enjoy  the 
means  of  grace  as  some  did,  and  that  she  prayed 
that  the  Lord  would  let  her  have  a  place  to  live, 
somewhere  on  the  main  road,  where  she  could  have 
the  privilege  of  taking  care  of  some  of  Christ's  min- 
isters, and  enjoy  their  society  more  frequently  than 


LEMUEL   NORTON.  129 

she  could  where  she  then  lived.  And  that  the  Lord 
had  answered  that  prayer — that  her  husband  had 
recently  purchased  that  farm,  and  she  had  had  her 
request  granted — and  that  while  I  was  speaking  of 
what  constituted  a  preparation  to  meet  God,  it  was 
so  exactly  in  accordance  with  her  experience  that 
she  could  not  refrain  from  weeping,  for  she  had  been 
doubting  her  religious  experience  from  time  to  time, 
but  felt  greatly  encouraged  from  the  remarks  made 
from  the  text  to  hope  that  she  was  a  Christian  in 
deed  and  truth,  which  I  have  no  reason  to  doubt, 
her  neighbors  bearing  witness  that  she  was  one  of 
the  excellent  of  the  earth.  I  preached  to  this  people 
occasionally  for  five  years,  and  had  the  happiness  of 
seeing  many  sinners  converted  to  God  and  added  to 
the  church,  I  trust  through  my  humble  efforts  in  the 
cause  of  Immanuel. 

Returning  home  from  Islesborough,  I  next  visited 
Mount  Desert,  where  there  had  been  some  religious 
interest  among  the  people,  and  a  goodly  number 
had  found  the  Saviour  precious  to  their  souls,  and 
a  small  Baptist  Church  had  been  organized  by  Rev. 
Father  Case  and  Rev.  Bryant  Linnen.  In  this  place 
I  stopped  a  number  of  Sabbaths,  and  preached  with 
much  freedom.  Here  was  a  large  Congregational 
church.  Father  Eaton  was  their  minister,  and  had 
been  for  many  years,  though,  being  rather  illiterate, 
he  had  never  been  ordained,  because  it  was  against 
their  rules  to  ordain  an  illiterate  man  to  the  work  of 
the  ministry.  Quito  a  number  of  this  church  had 
6* 


130  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OT 

left  and  become  Baptists,  and  joined  the  newly  or- 
ganized Baptist  church.. 

Returning  home  again,  I  soon  after  visited  Vinal- 
haven,  or  Fox  Island,  as  it  was  formerly  called.  The 
Baptist  church  here,  too,  was  destitute  of  a  pastor, 
and  I  consented  to  labor  with  them  a  few  Sabbaths. 

After  this  visit  I  preached  some  about  home,  and 
in  other  places  where  the  people  desired  me.  As  I 
was  travelling  among  destitute  churches  considera- 
bly, the  church  to  which  I  belonged  thought  it  would 
be  better  for  me  to  be  ordained,  so  that  I  could  ad- 
minister the  ordinances  of  the  gospel  where  I  might 
be  called  to  preach.  Accordingly  they  called  a  coun- 
cil for  that  purpose,  and  examined  me  in  reference 
to  my  Christian  experience,  call  to  the  ministry,  doc- 
trinal views  of  the  gospel,  etc.  The  council  for  this 
purpose  was  organized  by  appointing  Rev.  John 
Roundy,  Chairman,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Lord,  of  Ells- 
worth, Secretary. 

Rev.  Benjamin  Lord  preached  the  sermon,  Wm. 
Johnson  made  the  ordination  prayer,  Rev.  John 
Roundy  gave  the  charge,  Rev.  Edward  Carter  gave 
the  right  hand  of  fellowish,  and  Rev.  Ebenezer 
Pinkham  the  address  to  the  people.  Here  I  would 
say,  that  Rev.  Mr.  Pinkham  was  appointed  to  put 
the  usual  questions  to  the  candidate  before  ordina- 
nation,  and  this  he  did,  I  trust,  in  a  plain  and  explicit 
manner.  There  was  one  question  only  that  I  did 
not  readily  answer,  and  that  I  did  not  answer  at  all. 
This,  to   me,  was  unexpected   and  singular.     It   was 


LEMUEL    NOBTON.  131 

as  follows :  "  You  believe,  Brother  Norton,  that, 
whereas  Aaron  bore  engraved  on  his  breast-plate, 
the  names  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel  when  he 
went  into  the  most  holy  place  to  make  an  atonement 
for  sin,  that  Christ,  upon  the  cross,  bore,  in  like  man- 
ner, engraved  on  his  breast,  the  names  of  all  the 
elect?"  To  this  most  remarkable  question  I  con- 
cluded, in  a  moment  to  make  no  reply,  but  thought 
if  they  did  not  think  proper  to  ordain  me  without 
an  affirmative  answer  to  this  question,  I  could  not 
receive  ordination.  The  moderator,  however,  im- 
mediately replied  to  brother  Pinkham,  and  said,  "Per- 
haps brother  Norton  has  not  examined  that  particular 
subject ;  you  had  better  pass  it  by ;"  and  so  he  did. 
Every  other  question  being  answered  satisfactorily, 
they,  after  a  few  minutes'  consultation,  proceeded  to 
ordain  me  as  I  have  above  stated. 

The  sermon,  preached  by  Rev.  Benjamin  Lord,  I 
thought  was  an  excellent  one.  The  text  was  1  Tim- 
othy ii.,  1,  which  reads  as  follows:  "  Thou,  therefore, 
my  son,  be  strong  in  the  grace  that  is  in  Christ  Je- 
sus." All  these  exercises  were  appropriate  and  sol- 
emn. A  large  congregation  witnessed  them  with 
apparent  seriousness  and  approbation.  This  ordi- 
nation took  place  in  March,  1818,  and  was  noticed  in 
tho  Baptist  Magazine  of  that  number,  printed  in 
Boston,  Lincoln  &  Edwards,  publishers. 

From  this  period  until  April,  1820,  I  continued  to 
travel  and  preach  in  different  places  the  glad  tidings 
of  the   kingdom   of  God.     By   request   I   made   one 


132  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

visit  to  Machias,  and  preached  at  West  Machias  one 
Sabbath.  Monday  evening  following,  I  had  a  meet- 
ing in  a  school-house  between  the  two  villages.  The 
house  was  very  much  crowded.  While  making  my 
way  along  through  the  crowd  at  the  door  and  in  the 
entry-way,  I  heard  a  man  say,  "  how  did  you  like 
the  stranger  who  preached  to  us  yesterday  ?"  The 
reply  was,  "  Very  well,  if  he  had  not  spoken  so  very 
loud."  This  put  a  damper  on  me  for  that  evening, 
and  in  order  that  they  should  have  no  room  to  find 
fault  on  that  ground,  I  spoke  quite  low  that  evening, 
but  I  enjoyed  but  little  freedom  in  speaking. 

My  mother  often  said  I  should  never  do  for  a  pub- 
lic speaker,  I  spoke  so  low.  This  might  have  been 
a  part  of  the  reason  why  I  did  speak  rather  louder 
in  the  beginning  of  my  ministry  than  public  speak- 
ers generally  do.  The  first  time  I  visted  Mount 
Desert,  after  preaching  one  Sabbath  at  Pretty  Marsh 
the  brethren  wanted  me  to  go  immediately  to  anoth- 
er section  of  rne  town  and  hold  some  meetings,  be- 
cause, as  they  said,  there  was  a  number  of  deaf  peo- 
ple there,  who  had  not  heard  preaching  for  years, 
and  they  had  no  doubt  but  they  could  hear  me  with 
comparative  ease.  Accordingly  I  went  and  held  sev- 
eral meetings,  in  which  the  deaf  folks  took  a  deep 
interest.  But  the  Machias  people  had  been  listen- 
ing to  a  Congregational  minister,  who  had  a  difficul- 
ty in  his  throat  so  that  he  had  to  deliver  his  sermons 
in  a  loud  whisper,  which  somehow  increased  the  con- 
trast between  his  speaking  and  mine. 


LEMUEL   N0ET0N.  133 

I  will  here  say  in  reply  to  the  above,  that  it  was 
then,  and  still  continues  to  be,  my  belief  that,  general- 
ly speaking,  the  loudness  or  lowness  of  my  voice  de- 
pends very  much  on  how  much  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  in- 
fluence I  have  while  speaking. 

I  attended  a  meeting  while  in  Machias,  in  a  school- 
house  opposite  what  is  now  called  Machiasport,  one 
evening,  where  the  people  very  seldom  heard  preach- 
ing unless  they  went  quite  a  number  of  miles  for  that 
purpose.  After  going  home  with  a  Mr.  Emerson  to 
put  up  for  the  night,  before  retiring  to  rest,  I  sang  this 
hymn : 

"  How  can  I  sleep  while  angels  sing, 

And  all  the  saints  on  high 
Cry,  *  Glory  to  the  Eternal  King, 

The  Lamb  that  once  did  die  ;' 

While  guardian  angels  fill  the  room, 

And,  hovering  round  my  bed, 
Clap  their  bright  wings  in  love  to  Him, 

Who  is  my  glorious  head  ?" 

This  hymn  had  a  powerful  effect  on  one  of  the  sons 
of  that  family,  who  has  since  been  converted  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  is  now  a  minister  of  the 
gospel. 

I  was  gone  from  home  on  this  tour  about  four  weeks. 
I  received  fifteen  dollars  for  my  services,  and  paii  for 
horse  hire  five  dollars.  I  speak  particularly  of  this 
fact,  because  the  man  whose  horse  I  had  agreed  that  I 
should  have  him  for  his  keeping. 


134  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

After  this  I  took  another  tour  to  Vinalhaven, 
where  I  formed  a  very  interesting  acquaintance  with 
several  Ames  families.  Preached  some  two  or  three 
Sabbaths  and  quite  a  number  of  evenings.  One  of 
those  evening  meetings  was  at  the  house  of  Deacon 
Babbage.  A  circumstance  took  place  in  this  meet- 
ing that  I  will  here  relate.  Though  very  insignificant 
in  itself  it  was  of  some  consequence  to  me.  After 
singing  and  praying,  having  read  my  text,  I  pro- 
ceeded, with  a  chair  before  me,  to  address  the  peo- 
ple. Having  but  slight  hold  of  the  chair,  I  noticed 
a  little  fellow,  perhaps  between  two  or  three  years 
of  age,  leaving  his  mother  and  making  for  the  chair. 
This  led  me  with  a  firmer  grasp  to  hold  on  to  the 
chair,  but  the  young  urchin  staggered  along,  got 
hold  of  it,  commenced  to  tug,  he  one  way  and  I 
the  other,  each  endeavoring  to  have  entire  posses- 
sion of  the  chair.  How  long  this  struggle  for  the 
chair  continued  I  am  unable  to  say,  but  I  found  my- 
self in  rather  an  unpleasant  position.  To  let  go  the 
chair  would  be  to  throw  the  boy  backwards  on  the 
floor,  chair  and  all,  and  produce  quite  a  sensation 
in  the  meeting,  get  the  attention  of  the  people  away 
from  the  subject  I  was  endeavoring  to  set  before  them, 
and  perhaps  set  my  antagonist  to  screaming  at  the  top 
of  his  voice.  To  retain  the  chair  would  be  only  to 
exhaust  his  patience,  and  the  whole  thing  might  pass 
off  unnoticed  by  most  of  the  congregation.  He,  how- 
ever, gave  it  up  after  a  while,  and  went  off  much  dis- 
satisfied with  his  ill  success  in  his  fruitless  efforts  to  ob- 
tain the  chair. 


LEMUEL     NORTON.  135 

This  was  my  last  visit  to  this  town.  I  returned 
to  ray  tamily,  and  shortly  after  preached  in  the  eve- 
ning at  my  father's,  from  the  words  :  "  The  wicked 
is  driven  away  in  his  wickedness,  but  the  righteous 
hath  hope  in  his  death."  Prov.  xiv.  32.  My  brother 
Thomas,  a  married  man,  dated  his  experience  from 
this  discourse.  Not  long  after  this,  his  wife  a1  so  ex- 
perienced religion.  They  both  became  members  of 
the  Baptist  church  in  Brooksville,  and  have  long 
since  gone  to  their  reward.  Visited  Islesborough 
again,  and  baptized  a  man  by  the  name  of  Mann. 
This  was  the  first  time  that  I  administered  the  ordi- 
nance to  any  one.  It  was  on  a  sandy  beach,  the  water 
clear  as  crystal.  Being  accustomed  to  the  water,  I  led 
the  candidate  off  where  it  was  quite  deep,  and  with 
perfect  ease  buried  him  with  Christ  in  baptism.  Had  a 
meeting  at  his  house  in  the  evening.  A  number  of 
young  converts  spoke,  whom  I  afterwards  baptized  and 
added  to  the  church. 

The  next  time  I  was  on  this  island  I  fell  in  with  a 
Free  Will  Baptist  preacher,  who  soon  began  to  hold 
meetings.  He  endeavored  to  show  that  the  doctrines 
of  predestination,  unconditional  election,  limited  atone- 
ment, close  communion,  etc.,  were  all  entirely  er- 
roneous. His  preaching  took  effect  on  the  minds  of 
the  people  so  that  hundreds  flocked  to  hear  him.  This 
doctrine  I  was  not  at  that  time  prepared  to  receive, 
but  endeavored,  to  the  best  of  my  abilities,  to  sub- 
stantiate what  I  believed  to  be  truth.  Unpleasant 
feelings   began    to   arise    among    the    people,    hard 


136  ATTTOBIOGKAPHY    OF 

speeches  on  both  sides  were  heard,  for  the  people 
now  began  to  take  sides.  But  notwithstanding  all 
these  hindrances,  the  work  of  the  Lord  went  on,  and 
a  great  many,  especially  of  the  youth,  embraced  the 
Saviour.  We  had  frequent  seasons  of  baptizing  the 
young  converts.  At  one  of  these  I  recollect  of  bap- 
tizing fifteen.  The  Free  Will  brother  baptized  seven 
at  the  same  time. 

This  reformation  gave  rise  to  the  Free  Will  Bap- 
tist church  in  this  town ;  and  this  'whole  community, 
who  ever  before  had  been  Calvinist  Baptists,  and  well 
united,  with  the  exception  of  a  family  or  two  of 
Friends,  were  now,  as  it  were,  parted  right  in  two,  and 
have  remained  so  up  to  the  present  day,  and  probably 
will  continue  so  till  the  ushering  in  of  the  millennium 
day  of  glory  shall  unite  and  make  them  one  in  Christ, 
as  He  is  one  with  the  Father.  May  the  good  Lord 
hasten  it  in  its  time. 

Through  fear  of  my  book  becoming  a  larger  volume 
than  was  at  first  intended  it  should  be,  I  shall  pass  by 
many  things  that  might  have  interested  the  reader,  and 
carry  the  reader  at  once  forward  to  the  time  when  I 
visited  Mount  Desert  the  second  time. 


LEMUEL    XOET0N.  137 


CHAPTER    VII. 

In  the  spring  of  1619,  the  church  at  Mount  Des- 
ert sent  for  me  to  make  them  another  visit,  which  I 
accordingly  did,  and  preached  with  them  during  a 
number  of  months  to  good  satisfaction.  In  the  fall 
of  this  year  I  was  engaged  to  keep  the  winter  school 
in  one  of  their  districts  called  the  Cape  District. 
This  summer  there  was  a  vessel  built  near  where  I 
used  to  hold  the  Lord's  day  meetings.  Happening 
down  on  board  of  this  craft  one  day  after  she  was 
launched,  and  the  masts  put  in,  the  riggers  being  at 
work  on  the  yards,  getting  them  ready  for  sending 
aloft  (I  said  the  riggers,  for  such  they  were  trying 
to  be,  but  they  were  only,  in  lieu  of  riggers,  doing 
the  best  they  could  to  put  the  rigging  into  its  place, 
it  having  been  fitted  to  their  hands  in  Boston  ;  a 
rigger  on  Mount  Desert  was  not  to  be  found  at  that 
day),  stepping  forward  where  the  master  workman 
was  trying  hard  to  put  the  peril,  so  called,  on  to  the 
fore  top-sail  yard,  I  perceived  at  once  that  he  was 
puzzled  how  to  pass  it  round  the  yard  so  as  to  make 
it  come  right  when  the  seizing  should  be  passed. 
Finding  himself  entirely  at  a  loss,  and  no  one  pres- 
ent who  could  help  him  out  of  his  dilemma,  he  says, 
"  Elder,  I  have  heard  you  preach  as  though  you  had 
been  to  sea  ;  how  do  I  know  now  but  that  you  can 
show  me  how  to  put  this  round  the  yard  ?"     "  Yes," 


138  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF      • 

I  remarked,  "  I  can  show  you  how  to  put  that  peril 
round  the  yard,  with  perfect  ease,  or  any  other  piece 
of  rigging  you  have."  The  fact  was,  I  could  rig  a 
ship,  and  put  every  block  and  strap  in  its  exact 
place  with  as  much  certainty  as  I  could  count  ten. 
Eleven  years  on  shipboard  had  taught  me  that  busi- 
nesss  most  thoroughly,  and  nothing  to  boast  of, 
either.  Could  I  have  preached  the  gospel  then  as 
perfectly  as  I  could  rig  a  ship,  I  might  have  preached 
it  to  much  greater  advantage,  and  been  instrument- 
al in  the  salvation  of  many  more  souls  than  I  could 
possibly  be  with  all  my  ignorance  and  want  of  edu- 
cation for  so  great  and  glorious  a  work.  But  to  re- 
turn to  the  peril.  I  off  coat,  rolled  up  my  shirt- 
sleeves, took  the  marline-spike  out  of  his  hands,  and, 
I  won't  say  in  less  than  no  time,  but  in  a  time  that 
astonished  him  for  its  brevity,  had  the  peril  on,  and 
secured  in  first  rate  order.  The  owner  standing  by, 
wished  to  know  if  I  worked  at  the  rigging  business 
now.  I  told  him  I  worked  at  anything  by  which  I 
could  honorably  support  my  family.  Soon  after  I 
saw  the  owner,  Mr.  James  Fly,  and  Mr.  Richardson, 
the  rigger,  in  close  conversation  together.  After 
taking  a  look  at  this  fine  craft,  I  was  about  stepping 
on  shore,  when  the  owner  wished  to  know  if  I  would 
finish  rigging  his  vessel.  I  told  him  if  he  desired 
it  I  would,  if  it  would  be  no  put  out  to  him  who  had 
undertaken  the  job.  He  said  it  would  not,  for  he 
desired  to  be  relieved  from  business  he  knew  so 
poorly  how   to    perform.      Accordingly    I    borrowed 


XEMUEL   NOttTOK  139 

^ome  tarpaulin  clothes,    and   soon   had  the  America, 
or  that  was  her  name,  ready  for  sea. 

After  this  I  was  frequently  sent  for  to  rig  new  ves- 
5els,  and  did  so,  always  receiving  large  pay  for  my 
■services.  Sometimes  I  would  go  from  my  rigging 
business  to  the  pulpit,  and  from  the  pulpit  to  my  rig- 
ging business. 

Late  in  the  fall  I  commenced  my  school.  This 
school  continued  twelve  weeks,  when  it  closed,  and  I 
went  home  again  to  Brooksville. 

A  number  of  persons  agreed  to  give  me  fifty  dol- 
lars apiece  if  I  would  move  to  Mount  Desert  the 
next  spring,  which  should  have  nothing  to  do  with 
my  salary,  which  would  be  about  two  hundred  dol- 
lars yearly.  After  consulting  my  family  and  friends 
in  Brooksville  with  reference  to  this  important  step, 
I  finally  concluded  to  sell  out  what  property  I  had 
in  Brooksville,  and  purchase  a  small  farm  in  Mount 
Desert.  This  I  attended  to  in  the  course  of  the 
winter,  and  when  the  spring  opened,  in  the  month 
of  April,  a  vessel  was  sent  in  which  two  of  the 
brethren  came,  and  took  on  board  my  goods,  and 
what  cattle  I  had,  and  myself  and  family  arrived  at 
Mount  Desert  in  the  month  of  April,  on  Fast  Day, 
1820,  where  the  people  turned  out,  took  all  my  ef- 
fects on  shore,  and  hauled  them  up,  and  deposited 
them  in  our  new  house  that  I  had  purchased  for  our 
residence  during  our  stay  upon  this  island  of  the 
sea.  I  would  here  observe  that  this  is  a  large  is- 
land, perhaps  twenty  miles   long,    and  about   twelve 


140  AUTOBIOGEAPHY   OF 

broad,  containing  at  that  time  two  towns,  Eden  and 
Mount  Desert,  with,  say,  about  three  thousand  inhab- 
itants. 

Here,  in  the  spring  of  1820,  I  commenced  a  stat- 
ed labor  in  the  Gospel  ministry.  Here  I  had  a  good 
prospect  before  me,  and  might  have  been  abundant- 
ly useful  and  successful,  no  doubt,  for  many  years, 
and  indeed  I  was  measurably  so  on  the  whole,  but 
not  so  much  so  in  this  denomination  as  if  I  had 
been  thoroughly  established  in  their  peculiar  doc- 
trines and  discipline,  as  will  appear  in  the  sequel  of 
this  statement  of  facts  in  the  case.  I  have  already 
said  in  this  book  that  there  was  a  large  and  some- 
what wealthy  Congregational  Church,  whose  minis- 
ter preached  in  our  section  of  the  town  a  part  of  the 
time.  But  when  away,  his  people  would  attend  our 
meeting,  and  especially  would  they  be  at  our  com- 
munion seasons. 

On  these  occasions,  in  giving  out  an  invitation  to 
come  to  the  Lord's  table,  and  receive  the  sacrament 
with  us,  to  exclude  these  good  brethren  and  sisters 
from  the  table  of  the  Lord  was  a  hard  case,  I  con- 
fess, for  me  to  do,  notwithstanding  I  had  no  fellow- 
ship with  sprinkling  for  baptism,  and  this  condition 
of  things  had  a  powerful  tendency  to  lead  some  of 
our  members  away  from  close  communion.  And, 
in  fact,  it  led  me  to  give  this  subject  a  more  thor- 
ough investigation  than  I  had  ever  done  before. 

The  result  of  this  investigation  will  appear  from 
what  the  reader  will  find  before  he  gets  through  with 

v..  _  <i.:„  1,  -  _i. 


LEMUEL   N0ET0N.  141 

Before  consenting  to  become  pastor  of  the  Bap- 
tist church  in  this  place,  I  had  severe  trials  about  it, 
and  prayed  for  divine  guidance  in  this  affair,  that  if  it 
was  my  duty  so  to  do,  that  when  I  should  preach  a 
discourse  disclosing  my  views  on  the  doctrines  of  the 
Bible,  if  the  church  readily  received  it  as  in  agreement 
with  their  views  on  the  same  subjects,  I  should  then 
conclude  it  would  be  right  for  me  to  take  the  pastoral 
care  of  the  church.  Accordingly  I  selected  a  text 
and  prayed  over  it,  and  studied  it.  And  then  I  spoke 
from  it,  the  Lord  helping  me  with  his  Holy  Spirit  to 
exhibit  such  truths  as  I  thought  naturally  grew  out  of 
the  subject. 

The  words  of  my  text  on  this  occasion  were  : 
"  That  I  may  know  him,  and  the  power  of  his  res- 
urrection, and  the  fellowship  of  his  sufferings,  being 
made  conformable  unto  his  death."  (Phillippians  iii., 
10.)  I  observed  that  to  know  Christ  in  the  sense  of 
the  text,  there  must  be  some  correct  knowledge  of 
the  doctrine  he  taught,  etc. 

While  delivering  this  discourse,  a  lady,  who  was 
a  member  of  this  church,  cried  out  to  give  vent  to 
her  feelings,  which  from  some  cause  or  other  were 
wrought  to  the  highest  pitch  of  excitement.  She 
finally  broke  out  by  saying  that  I  must  forgive  her 
for  the  interruption..  I  immediately  replied  that  it 
was  no  interruption,  and  said  to  her,  "  Free  your 
mind  in  your  own  way ;  and  if  any  other  persons 
present  wish  to  speak,  they  can  do  so  now,  or  at 
the  close  of  the  meeting,  whichever  suits  them  best." 


142  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

After  finishing  my  discourse,  and  giving  liberty 
for  others  to  speak,  several  arose,  one  after  another, 
and  spoke  as  though  they  were  well  satisfied  with  the 
discourse. 

Not  long  after  this  the  church  received  me  as 
their  pastor,  which  solemn  and  responsible  relation 
to  the  church  I  continued  to  sustain  for  about  eight 
years,  after  which  it  was  discontinued.  The  reader 
will  here  find  an  exact  copy  of  a  letter  received  by 
me,  some  years  after  I  had  left  the  Baptists  and  be- 
come a  Free  Will  Baptist,  from  the  Kev.  C.  P.  St. 
Clair,  a   Baptist   minister,  then  on   the    Isle   of  Mt. 

Desert. 

"Mount  Deseut,  Dec.  29,  1847. 

To  Rev.  L.  Norton  —  Dear  Sir: —  In  accordance  with 
your  request,  I  have  examined  the  records  of  the  Baptist 
Church  in  this  town,  and  the  first  time  your  name  is  men- 
tioned under  date  of  Nov.  25th,  1820.  At  that  time,  it 
seems  you  were  received  to  the  membership  of  the  church 
by  letter.  At  the  same  time  you,  by  a  vote  of  the  church, 
received  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  church.  At  a  church 
meeting,  March,  30th,  1827,  'Elder  Norton  acknowledged 
that  he  had  been  unsteady  in  his  principles  respecting  the 
order  of  God  s  house.'  June  7th.  1828,  at  a  church  mee'ing 
it  was  voted,  '  That  Elder  L.  Norton  be,  at  his  own  request, 
dismissed  from  the  pastoral  care  of  the  church.'  June  16th, 
« Voted,  That  the  church  cannot  any  longer  approve  of  El- 
der L.  Norton's  preaching  under  the  sanction  of  this  church 
until  existing  difficulties  respecting  his  sentiments  be  re- 
moved.' August  12,  1828,  'Voted,  To  call  a  council  to  ad- 
vise with  the  church  in  its  difficulties  in  Elder  L.  Norton's 
case.'  Sept.  17th,  1828,  '  The  Council  convened,  and  after 
investigating  the  case,  advised  the  church  to  withdraw  theii 
fellowship  from  Elder  Norton.'     The  church,  after  a  season 


LEMUEL   NORTON.  143 

of  prayer  for  Divine   guidance,  voted  to  accept  the  report  and 
follow   the   advice  of  the   council. 

"  Please  excuse  me  for  not  writing  sooner. 

•«C.  P.  ST.  CLAIR. 
"It    seems  the   church  had  no   trial   with    you,   excepting 
what  grew  from  their  disagreement  with  you  in  sentiments. 

«  C.  P.  S." 

The  above  is  a  correct  copy  of  Rev.  Mr.  St.  Clair's 
letter,  but  the  report  of  the  council  is  not  correctly 
stated,  because  instead  of  their  withdrawing  the 
hand  of  fellowship  from  me  first,  which  is  indicated 
as  the  report  reads  above,  it  was  directly  the  reverse. 
And  I  had  said  to  the  church,  wh'le  the  council  was 
present  with  the  church,  that  I  already  belonged  to 
the  Free  Will  Baptist  church  of  Christ,  and  that  I  was 
driven  to  the  necessity  of  leaving  them,  that  is,  the 
Calvinist  Baptist  church,  on  the  sole  account  of  their 
errors. 

So    that  the   report   of  the   council,  in  order   to  be 

truthful,  should  read,  and  it  did  read,  "  That,  where- 
as, Rev.  Lemuel  Norton  has  withdrawn  the  hand  of  fel- 
lowship from  us,  we  withdraw  the  hand  of  fellowship 
from  him." 

Soon  after  this  my  companion  followed  me  in  this 
same  manner,  and  united  with  the  Free  Will  Baptist 
church  of  Christ  in  Mount  Desert,  of  which  I  was 
then  pastor.  The  only  reason  why  we  did  not  apply 
to  the  church  for  a  regular  dismission  was  because  we 
knew  it  was  contrary  to  their  rules  to  give  a  dismis- 
sion, unless  it  was  to  be  dismissed  to  join  a  church  of 
their  own  faith  and  order.     What  their  practice  is  at 


144  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

the  present  day  I  am  not  prepared  to  say ;  probably  it 
is  the  same. 

I  will  here  say,  the  only  reason  why  I  left  the 
Baptists  was  because  of  what  I  considered  their  er- 
rors. I  always  loved  them,  and  love  them  still ;  and 
had  they  been  as  liberal  in  their  faith  of  the  doctrines 
of  the  gospel  fifty  years  ago,  as  I  think  they  now  are, 
I  have  no  doubt  but  that  I  should  have  remained  with 
them  to  this  present  day.  T  never  was  a  sectarian, 
never  can  be.  I  would  not,  that  I  know  of,  turn  my 
hand  over  to  alter  my  condition,  or  to  have  my  choice 
about  what  sect  I  should  be  of,  at  the  judgment  of  the 
great  day. 

This  much  I  am  certain  of,  that  in  every  nation  and 
in  every  denomination,  he  that  feareth  God  and  work- 
eth  righteousness  is  accepted  with  him. 

Again,  before  leaving  this  subject,  I  would  fur- 
ther say,  that  I  have  not  brought  it  before  the  reader 
on  account  of  any  ill  will  or  bad  feelings  that  I  have 
towards  any  individual,  or  any  church  or  denomina- 
tion of  Christians  whatever,  but  merely  to  give  the 
reader  a  fair  statement  of  the  facts  which  led  to  a  sep- 
aration between  me  and  the  Calvinist  Baptists,  with 
whom  I  remained  some  fifteen  years  from  the  time  1 
united  with  them  in  a  church  capacity,  and  should  have 
continued  with  them  to  this  present  day  had  it  not,  as 
I  have  before  stated,  been  owing  to  a  difference  in  our 
views  of  the  doctrine  of  grace. 

And  now  I  am  about  to  relieve  the  reader's  pa- 
tience from  this  subject,  I  want  to  be  indulged  one 
moment  longer,  while  I  give  a  word  of  advice  to  any 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  145 

into  whose  hands  this  little  hook  may  fall,  who  have 
never  united  with  any  sect  Be  sure,  after  you  have 
obtained  a  good  hope  through  grace,  to  find  a  home 
in  some  church  ;  but  before  uniting  with  any  one, 
endeavor  to  become  acquainted  first  with  what  you 
believe  yourself,  and  then  with  the  creed  and  disci- 
pline of  those  with  whom  you  unite,  for  be  assured 
that  it  is  no  small  thing  to  go  from  one  denomina- 
tion to  another  for  a  home.  It  has  cost  me  many  a 
sorrowful  hour,  though  I  have  never  seen  a  moment, 
since  I  removed  my  relation  from  the  Calvinist  Bap- 
tist Church  to  the  Free  Will  Baptist  Church,  that  I 
was  sorry  for  taking  this  step,  because  I  know  I  did 
it  for  the  truth's  sake  ;  yet  strange  to  tell,  by  so  do- 
ing I  have  made  of  those  I  took  to  be  my  very  best 
friends  the  most  severe  and  censorious  of  all  my  foes- 
Soon  after  I  commenced  preaching  free  and  full 
salvation  for  every  creature,  I  was  requested  to  visit 
a  certain  island  of  the  sea,  called  Gott's  Island, 
where  there  might  be  eight  or  ten  families  residing. 
When  I  stepped  out  of  the  boat,  I  felt  as  though  I 
could  hardly  endure  the  loneliness  of  the 'place  long 
enough  to  hold  a  meeting.  However,  I  consented; 
and  the  man  I  was  with  being  a  member  of  the 
same  church  I  had  withdrawn  from,  sympathized 
deeply  with  me,  believing  just  as  I  did  concerning 
the  doctrine  of  grace,  sent  his  boys  round  among  the 
people  of  the  place  and  notified  a  meeting  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  I  also  called  on  the  Con- 
gregational deacon,  who  lived  on  this  beautiful  spot 
7 


146  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

of  God's  earth,  surrounded  as  it  was  by  the  mighty 
deep. 

I  told  him  Christ  had  come  on  to  the  island  to 
visit  the  people,  and  that  there  was  to  be  a  meeting 
at  four  o'clock,  at  a  house,  where  there  were  two 
very  aged  people  lived,  who  could  not  get  out  to 
meeting,  and  that  we  should  be  glad  for  him  to  attend. 

While  saying  this  he  seemed  astonished,  and  the 
goad  stick  seemed  to  fall  out  of  his  hand  to  the 
ground.  He  stepped  along  and  unhooked  the  chain 
from  the  yoke,  and  let  his  oxen  go  to  the  barn.  He 
was  harrowing  in  his  wheat.  I  followed  him  to  the 
house ;  in  the  house  I  was  told  that  there  was  a 
young  lady  in  the  parlor  who  was  sick,  who,  they 
thought,  would  like  to  see  me.  She  came  out  direct- 
ly, and  such  another  object  of  despair  I  have  sel- 
dom seen.  "  Have  you  been  out  of  health  some- 
time ?"  I  inquired.  She  replied,  "  About  three  days." 
"  I  should  think  your  mind  was  somehow  depressed  ; 
is  it  not  ?"  I  inquired.  As  I  said  this,  I  saw  big 
tears  rolling  down  her  cheeks,  and  I  could  but  weep 
when  I  thought  what  sin  had  done  even  to  youth. 
I  asked  her  if  she  felt  herself  to  be  a  sinner.  She 
said  that  was  what  troubled  her.  Her  mother  and 
grandmother  spoke  highly  of  her,  but  it  only  seemed 
to  increase  rather  than  to  allay  her  grief.  I  spoke 
of  the  meeting  in  the  afternoon,  and  left,  weeping 
as  I  passed  from  house  to  house.  I  felt  already  will- 
ing to  stay  on  the  island,  for  I  perceived  that  Christ 
was  there  before  me,  and  loved  to  be  where  there 
was   a  good   deal   of  weeping   among    the  people  for 


LEMTJEIi   NOKTON.  147 

I  had  been  in  the  habit  of  weeping  some  considera- 
ble myself  in  those  days,  and  I  seemed  somehow 
just  fit  to  be  among  poor  sinners  who  were  weeping 
for  their  sins,  and  mourning  Christ's  love  to  know. 
Oh  !  what  sympathy  my  soul  felt  for  these  ! 

The  meeting  commenced  at  four.  The  deacon 
was  there,  and  the  sick  young  lady  was  also  there — 
people  from  the  neighboring  islands  were  there ; 
My  text  on  this  occasion  was  from  Titus  iii,  4  :  "  But 
after  that  the  kindness  and  love  of  God  our  Saviour 
towards  man  appeared."  After  showing  how  and 
when  this  loving  kindness  appeared,  and  speaking 
of  the  greatness  of  his  love,  I  tried  to  persuade  my 
hearers  to  love  God  in  return.  Just  as  I  attempted 
to  do  this,  the  Holy  Spirit  descended  with  such  pow- 
er upon  me  that  the  only  relief  I  could  find  was  to 
speak  with  all  my  might,  and  by  so  doing  for  a  few 
moments  I  found  relief,  but  my  hearers  were  bathed 
in  tears  ;  and  what  astonished  me  more  than  that 
was,  that  seven  young  persons  had  already  got  upon 
their  knees  and  were  crying  for  mercy,  and  confess- 
ing what  great  sinners  they  had  been  and  still  were. 
Perceiving  this,  I  took  my  seat,  and  let  them  entire- 
ly alone.  The  deacon  of  whom  I  have  before  spok- 
en, wanted  me  to  say  something  to  comfort  or  en- 
courage them.  I  thought  best  to  let  them  take  their 
own  course,  and  let  the  Lord  work,  for  I  knew  it  was 
the  Lord ;  and  surely  the  Lord  did  work  might- 
ily. After  crying  in  this  manner  some  fifteen  or 
twenty  minutes,  they  arose  and   took   their   seats   and 


148  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OP 

I  sang  that   beautiful   old   revival   hymn,  "  The  Lord 
into  his  garden  comes,"  etc. 

The  next  day  several  of  these  found  peace  in  be- 
lieving, and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  I  had  meetings 
every  day  for  four  days  in  succession,  during  which 
time  sixteen  precious  souls  had  been  born  again,  and 
commenced  a  new  life  in  the  service  of  the  Lord. 

There  being  no  church  on  these  outer  islands,  I 
thought  it  would  be  best  to  have  one.  Accordingly 
I  consulted  the  most  prominent  men  of  the  place, 
and  with  their  concurrence  took  the  necessary  pre- 
requisite steps  to  accomplish  such  a  purpose.  There 
being  no  Free  Will  Baptists  within  forty  or  fifty  miles 
of  us,  it  became  necessary  for  me  to  leave  them  for 
a  season,  and  go  and  get  such  help  as  was  needed 
to  organize  a  church.  Accordingly  I  left  them,  went 
home  to  see  to  my  own  affairs  there,  and  started  to 
inquire  for  a  people  called  Free  Will  Baptists.  In 
the  town  of  Lincolnville,  Waldo  County,  I  found  a 
Free  Will  Baptist  church,  and  a  minister  by  the 
name  of  McKenney,  who  very  kindly  furnished  me 
with  means  of  conveyance  to  Montville,  where  I 
found  two  Free  Will  Baptist  ministers  dwelling  in 
one  house,  namely,  Bev.  Ebenezer  Knowlton  and 
Rev.  John  True.  To  these  two  good  men  I  told 
wy  story,  to  all  of  which  they  listened  with  thrilling ' 
interest.  I  told  them  I  wanted  one  of  them  to  go 
with  me  to  those  islands  to  assist  in  organizing  a 
a  church.  But  they  said  there  was  no  call  for  that ; 
they  would  take  the  responsibility  of  giving  me  a 
letter   authorizing   me   to   preach,  baptize  and  organ- 


lEMttEl,    NORTON.  149 

ize  churches  wherever  I  thought  it  would  be  for  thd 
glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  souls  so  to  do. 

Taking  my  leave  of  these  two  servants  of  God,  for 
such  I  surely  believed  them  to  be,  I  made  the  best  of 
my  way  back  to  my  family,  and  then  to  those  whom  I 
so  fondly  loved  in  the  Lord. 

I  found  that  during  my  absence  from  them  they  had 
continued  their  meetings,  and  that  the  work  of  the 
Lord  was  still  going  on  in  the  place  and  spreading  to 
many  other  islands  of  the  sea. 

In  my  absence,  other  ministers  had  visited  these 
young  converts,  and  given  them  an  opportunity  to 
join  them,  but  it  availed  nothing :  not  one  of  them 
could  be  persuaded  to  take  a  step,  but  in  this  re* 
spect  remained  just  as  I  left  them. 

We  soon  after  this  had  several  seasons  of  baptizing, 
and  happy  seasons  they  were  to  our  precious  souls. 
I  baptized  several  heads  of  families,  and  younger 
persons,  down  to  the  age  of  eleven  years. 

Here  let  me  speak  a  few  words  of  the  experience 
of  a  little  girl  by  the  name  of  Mary  Putnam,  who 
gave  a  very  interesting  account  of  the  work  of  the 
Lord  in  what  he  had  done  for  her  soul.  Said  she, 
"I  was  going  to  the  spring  one  morning  for  a  pail 
of  water."  She  had  been  reading  where  God  is  rep- 
resented as  "  being  more  willing  to  give  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  them  that  ask  .Him,  than  parents  to  give 
good  gifts  to  their  children,"  and  it  came  into  her 
mind  to  try  and  see  if  the  Bible  was  true.  She  said 
she  desired  the  Holy  Spirit  more  than  anything  else ; 
accordingly  at  the  spring  she  knelt  down  and  prayed 


150  AUTOBlOGHAPHY    OF 

earnestly  for  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  in  a  short  time  it  so 
overwhelmed  her  and  filled  her  so  full  with  love  to  God 
and  love  to  everybody  else,  that  she  arose  and  returned 
to  the  house,  praising  the  Lord,  and  saying  to  her  moth- 
er as  she  entered  thfe  house,  "  Mother,  the  Bible  is 
true  !  the  Bible  is  true !  " 

A  day  being  appointed  for  the  purpose,  we  met 
at  the  dwelling  house  of  a  Mr.  Thurston  (who  is 
now  keeper  of  the  light  at  Bass  Harbor),  and  there 
proceeded,  according  to  the  rules  of  the  Free  Will 
Baptists,  to  organize  a  church  of  that  denomination, 
who  made  choice  of  Brother  Francis  Gilley  for  their 
deacon,  and  Bro.  Richardson  for  their  clerk. 

This  powerful  work  extended  to  about  all  the  islands 
on  this  part  of  the  coast  of  Maine,  —  to  Swan's  Isl- 
and, to  Precensha,  to  the  Cranberry  Islands,  to  Tre- 
mont,  to  Barr  Island,  and  to  many  other  places  in  the 
County  of  Hancock. 

I  frequently  visited  this  little  church  while  I  re- 
mained an  inhabitant  of  Mount  Desert,  and  preached 
and  administered  the  Lord's  Supper  to  them  from 
time  to  time.  But  after  a  few  years  some  died, 
others  moved  away  into  the  country,  and  finally  the 
church  became  extinguished;  but  there  are  those  who 
were  once  members  of  this  little  branch  of  God's 
Zion,  who  are  now  members  of  other  Free  Will  Bap- 
tist churches,  who  will  never  forget  the  happy  sea- 
sons they  enjoyed  in  communion  with  God  and  each 
other  while  they  came  around  the  table  of  the  Lord 
in  this  place. 

The   next   place   where   I   labored   successfully   in 


LEMTTEL   NORTON.  151 

this  great  harvest  of  souls,,  was  on  the  Cranberry 
Island,  now  known  as  the  town  of  Cranberry.  Here 
God  poured  out  His  holy  spirit,  and  a  goodly  num- 
ber of  souls  were  brought  to  rejoice  in  the  God  of 
their  salvation.  Among  these  was  a  young  married 
lady  by  the  name  of  Abigail  Spurling,  whose  hus- 
band was  master  of  a  brig  then  on  a  voyage  to  Bel- 
fast, in  Ireland. 

A  day  was  appointed  for  baptizing  the  converts. 
Nine  went  forward  the  first  baptizing  season  we 
had.  Sister  Spurling  was  the  first  who  went  into 
the  water — indeed,  she  was  the  first  who  was  bap- 
tized by  immersion  in  this  place.  Some  said  her 
husband  would  be  angry  with  her  for  taking  this 
step,  and  they  hardly  knew  what  he  would  do  to 
me  on  his  return  home.  But  it  proved  directly  to 
the  contrary,  for  on  his  being  informed,  where  he 
was,  of  what  had  taken  place  at  home,  he  wrote 
back  to  his  wife  that  he  was  very  glad  to  learn  that 
she  had  become  a  Christian,  and  wanted  her  to  pray 
for  him.  I  will  just  say  that  on  his  return,  hearing 
her  relation  of  what  the  Lord  had  done  for  her,  he 
immediately  commenced  seeking  the  Lord  for  him- 
self and  became  a  follower  of  Christ,  to  the  great  joy 
of  his  worthy  companion. 

I  had  several  seasons  of  baptizing  here.  The 
work  seemed  mostly  to  prevail  among  the  youth, 
though  there  were  some  of  all  ages  who  turned  their 
feet  to  the  Lord  s  testimonies,  and  become  pious. 
These  persons  mostly  united  with  the  church  before 
spoken  of,   but  their   advantages  were  but  few  so  far 


152  ATTTOBIOGEAPIIY    OS" 

as  the  means  of  grace  were  concerned,  though  they 
had  plenty  of  this  world's  goods.  I  believe  the 
Methodist  Circuit  preacher  visits  them  occasionally, 

The  next  place  where  my  labors  seemed  to  be 
blest  to  the  good  of  souls  was  at  a  section  of  the 
town  of  Mount  Desert  then  called  the  Beach,  or 
Otter  Creek,  since  called  Tremout.  Here  the  Lord 
visited  the  people,  and  the  word  preached  profited 
them,  being  mixed  with  faith  in  them  that  heard  it. 
Here  I  baptized  quite  a  number,  and  organized  a 
small  church.  The  day  on  which  I  baptized  the 
largest  number,  I  preached  a  discourse  on  the  sub- 
ject of  baptism,  and  then  repaired  to  the  water,  where 
I  baptized  all  who  had  told  their  experience  and 
had  been  received  as  candidates  for  baptism.  The 
Holy  Spirit  was  poured  out  on  the  assembly  in  such 
copious  effusions  here  at  the  water's  side,  that  it 
seemed  as  though  they  were  all  about  to  be  con- 
verted to  God.  Dry  eyes  were  hardly  to  be  seen 
in  the  congregation  that  lined  these  banks  of  Jor- 
dan. At  this  season  I  baptized  a  youth  by  the  name 
of  Lazarus  Nott,  who  is  now  an  able  minister  of  the 
New  Testament,  who  graduated  at  the  Bangor 
Theological  School,  and,  if  I  mistake  not,  is  now 
preaching  at  Ellsworth. 

One  instance  I  would  like  to  relate  in  reference 
to  myself  on  this  occasion,  to  show  the  reader  the 
peculiar  state  of  my  mind  at  times,  and  my  great 
anxiety  for  souls  while  laboring  in  this  place.  After 
returning  from  the  water,  and  having  taken  some 
dinner,  the  people  soon   began   to  assemble  for  anoth- 


LEMUEL   NOETON.  153 

er  meeting,  according  to  previous  appointment.  My 
text  was,  in  the  afternoon,  "  How  long  halt  ye  be- 
tween two  opinions  ?"  At  the  close  of  the  dis- 
course, Deacon  Loud  arose,  remarking  that  he  had 
an  answer  to  the  question  proposed  in  the  text,  and 
that  was,  "  no  longer."  Numbers  of  others  spoke 
and  praised  the  Lord,  so  that  it  was  thought  best 
to  let  the  meeting  go  on,  and  if  any  wished  to  leave 
they  might  leave,  and  those  who  wished  to  stay 
might  remain.  The  meeting  continued  till  eleven 
o'clock  at  night,  and  then,  by  general  consent,  it 
closed,  and  the  people  went  home,  singing  and  prais- 
ing the  Lord  as  they  went.  The  particular  incident 
to  which  I  wished  to  refer  was  the  fact,  that  after 
arriving  at  the  house  where  I  went  to  stop  for  the 
night,  the  lady  of  the  house  began  to  prepare  for 
supper.  I  inquired  why  she  did  so.  She  said,  "  I 
am  getting  you  some  supper."  I  told  her  I  needed 
nothing  except  a  little  sleep,  when  she  replied,  "  You 
have  taken  nothing  since  to-day,  noon  ;  I  should 
think  you  needed  something  by  this  time."  I  was 
very  much  surprised  at  this,  and  puzzled  to  know 
how  it  was  possible  for  all  that  time  to  pass  away 
so  unperceived  by  me.  I  told  the  sister  I  was  glad 
to  perceive  that  she  thought  more  about  me  than  I  did 
about  myself. 

Returning  home,  once  more,  I  attended  to  some 
business  of  importance  to  my  family. 

In  this  place,  let  me  say,  that  I  had  forgotten  to 
speak  of  the  little  church  that  I  first  organized — I 
7* 


154  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

mean  about  our  joining  the  Montville  Quarterly 
Meeting.  It  seems  by  the  letter  before  me  that  this 
took  place  September  20th,  1828. 

That  the  reader  may  the  better  understand  how 
my  connection  was  formed  with  the  people  called 
Free  Will  Baptists,  I  will  here  say  what  I  ought 
to  have  said  before,  that  immediately  after  organiz- 
ing the  said  church,  they  appointed  delegates  to  at- 
tend the  Montvillo  Quarterly  Meeting,  and  myself 
being  pastor  of  the  church,  was,  of  course,  one  of 
them.  We  took  a  boat  and  started  in  good  season 
to  attend  the  Quarterly  Meeting,  to  be  holden  in 
Prospect,  in  a  new  meeting  house,  just  finished  for 
that  purpose.  We  arrived  in  due  season,  present- 
ed our  request  to  be  received  as  a  sister  church,  and 
were  by  a  unanimous  vote  of  the  Quarterly  Meeting 
Conference  received  to  the  fellowship  of  that  eccle- 
iastical  body,  and  received  the  right  hand  of  fel- 
lowship as  a  church  in  regular  standing  in  that  de- 
nomination. For  the  further  information  of  the 
reader  about  how  I  became  a  member  of  that  de- 
nomination, I  will  here  transcribe  the  entire  letter 
which   now   lies  before   me,  and  signed  by  the   Clerk 

of  the  Quarterly  Meeting. 

Prospect,  Sept.  20,  1828. 
Whomsoever  it  may  concern  : 

This  may  certify  that  the  Elders  of  the  Montville  Quarter- 
ly Meeting,  in  conference  assembled,  having  faithfully  exam- 
ined Elder  Lemuel  Norton,  of  Mount  Desert,  relative  to  his 
sentiments  and  views  as  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 
do  find  him  in  sentiment  fully  united  with  us  in  the  following 
things : 

First — That   salvation   is   free   for   all  the  human  family  by 


LEMUEL   NOHTON.  155 

repentance   toward   God,   and   faith   in   Christ,    together  with 
humble  obedience  until  daath. 

Secondly — That  the  communion  of  the  Lord's  supper,  in 
memory  of  his  sufferings  and  death,  should  be  liberally  op- 
ened to  Christians  of  all  orders  in  good  standing. 

Thirdly — That  we  take  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testament  as  our  rules  of  faith  and  practice. 

Being  satisfied  that  brother  Norton  has  been  called  of  God, 
to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  as  he  received  ordination,  and  re- 
mained a  number  of  years  a  member  of  the  Maine  Eastern 
Association,  in  the  Calvinistic  Baptist  Order,  we  have  this  day 
given  him  the  right  hand  of  fellowship,  and  received  him 
as  a  member  in  fellowship  with  the  Elders'  Conference,  as  a 
minister  of  the  New  Testament.  Whereby  we  commend  him 
to  the  public,  to  preach  the  Gospel  and  administer  all  its  ordi- 
nances . 

(Signed,)  JOHN    TRUE, 

Quarterly  Meeting  Clerk. 

I  remained  on  the  Island  of  Mount  Desert  about 
six  years,  after  becoming  a  Free  Will  Baptist,  dur- 
ing which  time  there  was  a  Free  Will  Baptist  Church 
organized  in  my  own  house,  by  Rev.  Samuel  Whit- 
ney, of  Dixmont,  of  some  fifteen  or  sixteen  mem- 
bers John  C.  Somes  appointed  deacon,  Shubael 
D.  Norton,  Clerk.  This  church,  I  believe,  still  lives, 
though  T  should  think  it  is  very  feeble  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  Some  of  its  members  having  died,  and 
others  having  moved  away,  and  being  surrounded 
by  so  many  opposing  influences,  it  would  not  be 
at  all  strange  if  it  should  run  entirely  down,  and  be 
dropped  from  the  connection.  By  looking  at  the 
Register  for  1861,  I  perceive  it  has  not  become  ex- 
tinct, but  that  it  belongs  to  the  Prospect  Quarterly 
Meeting. 


156  ATJTOBTOGTtAPHY    OF 

In  order  that  my  book  may  not  become  too  large 
and  exhaust  the  reader's  patience,  I  shall  little  more 
than  give  a  few  brief  extracts  from  my  Journal 
while  living  at  Mount  Desert,  after  uniting  with  the 
Free  Will  Baptists,  although  I  travelled  much  in 
the  country,  attended  a  great  many  of  their  Quar- 
terly Meetings,  notwithstanding  I  sometimes  had  to 
■walk  sixty,  seventy,  or  eighty  miles  on  foot  to  get 
where  they  were  holden.  Sometimes  I  would  take 
a  horse,  but  then  the  difficulty  of  getting  off  and 
on  to  the  Island,  and  the  danger  was  so  great,  that 
I  almost  shrank  at  the  idea  of  taking  a  horse,  as 
there  was  no  bridge  to  the  Island  in  those  days. 

In  order  that  the  reader  may  form  some  idea  of 
my  manner  of  life  while  travelling  and  preaching  the 
gospel,  I  will  here  give  an  account  of  one  of  my  tours 
from  the  Island  into  the  country  and  home  again  : 

Mount  Desert,  January  28th  1833.  Taking  my 
wife  with  me,  we  left  home  and  rode  to  the  widow 
Somes's,  between  the  hills.  Tuesday,  29th,  crossed 
the  Narrows,  and  dined  at  Trenton  ;  put  up  at  Ells- 
worth ;  had  a  meeting  in  the  evening  ;  text,  "  Let 
us  lift  up  our  hearts  with  our  hands  to  God  in  the 
heavens."  Wednesday,  30th,  arrived  at  Brother 
Harding's,  in  Prospect,  and  had  a  meeting  in  the 
evening.  Thursday,  31  si,  preached  in  a  school, 
house  near  Brother  Harding's  in  the  evening  ;  very 
cold  about  this  time.  Friday,  February  1st,  visited 
from  house  to  house.  Saturday,  2d,  attended  Con- 
ference. Lord's  Day  Sd,  spoke  to  the  people  from 
John  iii,  16  ;  in  the  evening  had  a  meeting  at   Broth- 


LEMUEL   N0BT0N.  157 

er  John  Grant's.  Monday,  4th,  called  at  Rev.  Da- 
vid Swett's  ;  a  meeting  at  the  new  school  house,  near 
the  town  house.  Tuesday,  5th,  went  over  to  Swan- 
ville ;  stopped  at  Brother  Ricker's.  Wednesday, 
6th,  stopped  at  Brother  Cunningham's.  Thursday, 
1th,  snow  storm  ;  meeting  in  the  evening  at  Brother 
Parsons's.  Friday,  8th-  a  meeting  at  Brother 
Smart's  ;  very  cold  ;  rode  to  Belmont,  and  returned 
in  the  afternoon.  Saturday,  had  a  conference  at 
Brother  Nickerson's.  Lord's  Day,  \0th,  meeting  in 
Swanville  ;  meeting  in  the  evening.  Monday,  Wth, 
rode  over  to  George's  settlement ;  put  up  with  Rev. 
John  Clark.  Tuesday,  12th,  severe  snow  storm  ; 
meeting  in  the  evening  at  new  school  house.  *  * 
*  *  Several  pages  are  lost,  so  that  I  have  to 
pass  to  Feb.  22d,  had  a  meeting  in  the  evening  at 
Brother  Mudgett's ;  enjoyed  much  life  and  power 
in  this  meeting ;  the  brethren  were  well  engaged. 
Saturday,  23d,  rode  over  to  the  shore ;  stopped  at 
Captain  Sears  Harding's  for  the  night.  Lord's 
Day,  spoke  again  to  the  people  in  this  place  ;  had  a 
third  meeting,  at  Brother  Samuel  Harding's ;  very 
stormy  during  the  night ;  roads  blocked  up,  and 
very  cold.  Monday,  25th,  cold  and  blustering  ;  felt 
quite  satisfied  with  the  ways  of  God;  meeting  in 
the  evening  at  Mr.  Daniel  Goodel's  ;  text,  **  Holiness 
without  which  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord."  Tues- 
day, 26th,  crossed  the  Penobscot  at  Bucksport,  in 
company  with  Brother  Harding,  and  stopped  all 
night  at  Captain  Keyes's,  in  Orlaud.  Wednesday, 
27th,  snow  storm ;    rode    over   to  Mr.  Trueworthy's, 


158  ATTTOBlOGftAPHY    01" 

and  tarried  all  night.  Thursday,  28lh,  arrived  in 
Trenton,  and  stopped  over  night.  Friday,  March 
1st,  crossed  the  Narrows  on  the  ice  ;  took  dinner  at 
Brother  Somes's,  between  the  hills  ;  got  home  at 
four  P.  M.  Found  all  well,  having  been  absent 
thirty-three  days,  during  which  time  we  experienced 
much  rough  weather,  and  quite  a  number  of  severe 
snow  storms,  and  received  many  kind,  encouraging 
words  from  the  people,  and  felt  satisfied  that  we  had 
endeavored  to  do  the  best  we  could  to  persuade 
men  to  be  reconciled  to  God,  and  to  build  up  the  king- 
dom of  God  among  men. 

On  December  18th,  1834,  I  took  another  tour  in- 
to the  country.  Stopped  between  the  hills  to  have 
my  sleigh  repaired,  put  up  at  night  at  Capt.  Thomp- 
son's, at  the  Narrows.  Friday,  19th,  crossed  on  the 
ice  into  Trenton,  and  rode  to  Orland  before  dark  ; 
attended  a  meeting  in  the  evening  with  a  newly  or- 
ganized church  in  this  place.  Saturday,  20th,  had  a 
meeting  at  Brother  Richardson's.  Lord's  Day, 
21st,  preached  at  Brother  Oliver  Gross's,  and  in  the 
afternoon  baptized  two— ^one  a  young  married  man, 
and  formerly  a  Universalist,  the  other  an  aged  lady 
of  seventy-five  years ;  the  weather  clear  and  cold  ; 
suffered  no  inconvenience,  however,  on  account  of 
the  cold  ;  the  Lord  was  with  us  of  a  truth,  and  we 
could  say  :  "  Christians,  if  your  hearts  are  warm, 
ice  and  snow  can  do  no  harm;"  preached  in  the 
evening  to  a  crowded  house,  from  the  words,  "  One 
thing  is  needful."  Monday  following,  preached  at 
the  red   school  house,  on    Orland   Ridge.      Tuesday 


LEMUEL   NORTON.  159 

23d,  crossed  Bucksport  ferry  ;  attended  the  funeral 
of  a  man,  who,  it  was  said,  died  very  suddenly  in  a 
fit  of  intoxication  ;  put  up  at  Brother  Haley's  in 
Frankfort.  Thursday,  25th,  rode  to  Newhurg,  and 
stopped  at  Brother  Croxford's  ;  evening  cold. 
Friday,  called  at  Deacon  Emery's,  and  attended 
Elders'  Conference  in  the  new  meeting  house. 
Lord's  Day,  28th,  dedicated  the  house  to  the  service 
of  the  great  God,  and  our  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ  j 
this  was  a  very  good  Quarterly  Meeting  indeed ; 
love  and  harmony,  peace  and  unanimity,  prevailed 
throughout  the  entire  meeting ;  this  meeting  was 
protracted  nine  days  ;  many  backsliders  were  re- 
claimed, and  some  who  never  before  spoke  in  a  re- 
ligious meeting,  came  forward,  and  related  what 
God  had  done  for  their  souls.  Monday,  January 
bth,  went  to  Augusta,  taking  with  me  Rev.  Ebenez- 
er  Allen,  of  Dixmont,  a  representative  to  the  Leg- 
islature ;  stopped  on  the  way  at  Esquire  Rich's,  in 
China,  over  night.  Tuesday  6lh,  took  dinner  at 
Augusta  ;  left  Brother  Allen  to  assist  in  making 
laws  and  statutes  for  the  State,  while  I  went  on, 
preaching  the  glad  tidings  of  the  kingdom  of  God  ; 
a  tedious  cold  day  this  ;  stopped  all  night  with  Rev. 
Mr.  Prescott,  a  Christian  Baptist  preacher — right- 
ly named,  too,  for  he  received  me  very  kindly. 
Wednesday,  7th,  passed  over  to  Wales,  and  attend- 
ed Quarterly  Meeting  with  the  Bowdoin  churches ; 
heard  some  excellent  preaching  on  "Wednesday  and 
Thursday.  January  Sth,  arrived  at  Brother  Noah 
Norton's   in   Bowdoin  ;    found  his   family   well,  but, 


160  ATJTOBIOGBAPHY  OP 

alas  !  how  disappointed,  when  told  that  he  had  been 
absent  about  a  fortnight,  on  a  visit  to  Brooksville. 
Friday  9th,  had  a  meeting  in  the  school  house  in 
Brother  Noah's  district.  By  request  of  some  Con- 
gregational brethren,  preached  in  their  meeting 
house  on  the  Sabbath,  at  Litchfield  Corner.  Lord's 
Day  evening,  preached  with  my  brother's  people  ; 
this  was  a  highly  interesting  meeting,  no  doubt  in 
part  on  account  of  my  being  a  brother  to  the  man 
that  they  set  so  much  by  as  their  minister.  Mon- 
day, 12th,  attended  a  meeting  in  company  with 
Brother  Robinson,  and  a  Brother  Richard  Kelly,  of 
Gardiner,  in  a  school  house  near  Brother  Cook's. 
Tuesday,  13th,  attended  a  meeting  at  Rev.  Brother 
Robinson's  in  Richmond.  Wednesday,  14th,  crossed 
the  Kennebec  on  the  ice,  and  went  to  Woolwich ; 
attended  their  conference  ;  had  a  meeting  in  the  even- 
ing at  the  Widow  Gould's ;  text,  "  The  righteous 
cry,  and  the  Lord  heareth  them,  and  delivereth 
them  out  of  all  their  troubles."  (Psalm  xxxiv.  15.) 
Thursday,  15th,  writing  this  Journal  at  Brother 
Tebbetts'.  Friday,  16th,  meeting  in  the  meeting 
house.  Saturday,  17th,  still  in  Woolwich.  Lord's 
Day,  18th,  preached  in  Wiscasset  village.  Monday 
evening,  meeting  in  Woolwich.  Tuesday,  20th,  the 
protracted  meeting  commenced  in  Woolwich  ;  spoke 
to  the  assembly  from  the  text,  "  There  is  that  scat-, 
tereth  and  yet  increaseth,"  etc.  ;  Brother  Pinkham, 
Calvinist  Baptist,  preached  in  the  evening.  Wed- 
nesday, 21st,  Brother  Kelly  spoke  from  the  words, 
"  He  that  hath  friends  must  show  himself  friendly  ;" 


LEMUEL   NOETOtf.  161 

in  the  afternoon  spoke  from  the  words,  "  We,  then, 
as  workers  together  with  Him,  beseech  you  also 
that  you  receive  not  the  grace  of  God  in  vain ; "  in 
the  evening  Brother  Bridges  spoke  from  the  words, 
"  All  thy  works  praise  thee,  0,  Lord,  and  thy  saints 
bless  thee ; "  this  meeting  continued  a  number  of 
days,  and  was  greatly  blessed  to  the  good  of  many 
souls.  Friday,  2Zd,  passed  over  to  the  Windsor 
Quarterly  Meeting,  holden  in  Whitefield.  Saturday, 
a  meeting  in  the  meeting-house;  Brother  Otis 
Bridges  preached.  Lord's  Day,  25th,  Brother 
Hobbs,  of  Augusta,  a  member  of  the  Legislature, 
spoke  to  the  people  in.  the  morning;  in  the  after- 
noon I  tried  to  preach  from  the  words,  "  For  the 
grace  of  God  that  bringeth  salvation,"  etc. ;  this 
was  a  profitable  season.  Monday,  26/A,  returned  to 
Woolwich.  27th,  at  Brother  Tebbetts'  once  more; 
prayer  meeting  in  the  evening.  Wednesday,  28th, 
had  a  meeting  at  Brother  Seth  Hathorne's  in  Wool- 
wich. Thursday,  29th,  crossed  the  Kennebec  on 
the  ice,  and  put  up  at  Brother  Wakefield's  in  Gar- 
diner ;  spoke  in  the  evening  in  his  school  house, 
from  1  John  iii.  14.  Friday,  snow  storm ;  rode  to 
Brother  James  Parker's,  in  Litchfield,  in  company 
with  Brother  Kelly,  and  Rev.  Brother  Meader,  and 
put  up  for  the  night,  durincr  which  there  was  much 
rain.  Saturday,  Slst,  stormy;  attended  conference 
in  Gardiner  with  the  Third  Church.  Lord's  Day, 
February  1st,  preached  in  Gardiner ;  text,  "  That 
ye   would   walk    worthy   of    God,    who    hath    called 


162  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

you  to  his  kingdom  and  glory."  (1  Thess.  ii.  12.) 
Monday,  2d,  had  a  meeting  in  the  school  house  near 
Brother  Goodrich's,  in  Gardiner.  Tuesday,  3d,  at 
Brother  Ring's.  Wednesday,  4th,  a  meeting  in 
G-ardiner,  near  Brother  Wakefield's.  Thursday, 
5th,  in  company  with  Brother  Kelly,  went  Up  the 
liver  on  the  ice,  to  Augusta,  where  a  protracted 
meeting  had  been  in  progress  some  days  ;  stopped 
at  Brother  Greenlief's.  Friday,  6th,  had  a  good 
meeting  in  the  court  house.  Saturday,,  7th,  a  meet- 
ing in  the  town  house  in  connection  with  the  Calvin- 
ist  Baptists.  Lord's  Day,  8th,  meeting  in  the  town 
house  and  another  in  the  school  house.  Monday, 
rode  to  China ;  preached  in  the  evening  at  the  Chap- 
man school  house.  Tuesday,  10th,  preached  in  a 
school  house  at  Moutville.  Wednesday,  11th,  ar- 
rived at  Belfast,  and  put  up  at  Deacon  M'Donald's. 
Thursday,  12th,  left  Belfast,  and  stopped  in  Swan- 
ville,  at  Brother  Smart's;  took  dinner  at  Brother 
Ephraim  Grant's,  in  Prospect ;  crossed  Bucksport 
ferry  at  sunset ;  put  up  at  Brother  Higgins's,  in 
Orland.  Friday,  13th,  journeyed  on  to  Ellsworth, 
and  took  dinner  at  brother  Jordan's,  a  Calvinist 
Baptist  Brother ;  in  the  afternoon  rode  to  the  Nar- 
rows, and  with  some  considerable  difficulty,  togeth- 
er with  the  loss  of  a  part  of  my  harness,  I  once 
more  found  myself  on  this  great  mountainous  isle 
of  the  sea ;  drove  on  to  Brother  Isaac  Somes's,  in 
Somesville,  and  put  up  for  the  night ;  high  winds 
from   the    southwest,  with   some   rain,    which   ended 


LEMUEL   N0ET0N.  163 

with  some  slight  flurries  of  snow.  Saturday,  14//i, 
harnessed  up  once  more,  and  started  for  home  ;  bad 
sleighing,  to  be  sure,  but  who  regards  that  when 
one  is  bound  home  ?  Almost  home !  oh !  how  sweet 
is  that  little  magic  word,  home  !  Who  can  compre- 
hend what  is  contained  in  that  one  word  of  only' 
four  letters,  especially  when  applied  to  heaven, 
sweet  heaven.  At  ten  A.  M.,  Dick  turned  up  to  the 
gate,  entered  the  dooryard,  and  stood  before  the 
door  with  all  that  gladness  which  it  is  possible  for 
an  unintelligent  being  to  have. 

I  thanked  the  good  Lord  who  had  been  with  me  in 
all  these  journeyings,  both  by  night  and  by  day,  and 
I  humbly  trust  my  labor  has  not  been  in  vain  in  the 
Lord.  I  was  absent  on  this  tour  fifty-eight  days,  and 
the  reader  will  perceive  that  I  was  not  idle,  but  as 
much  as  in  me  was,  I  preached  the  gospel  of  Christ, 
anywhere  and  everywhere,  where  there  was  an  open 
door  for  that  purpose. 

The  Lord  had  taken  care  of  my  family  during  my 
absence,  and  none  but  those  who  know  what  it  is  to  go 
forth  weeping  and  bearing  precious  seed,  understand 
the  joys  of  those  who,  after  being  separated  for  a  sea- 
son for  the  kingdom  of  God's  sake,  are,  in  his  kind 
providence  permitted  once  again  to  greet  each  other 
on  the  shores  of  time. 

I  have  now  given  to  the  reader  a  fair  sample  of 
the  home  missionary's  life  while  travelling  and  labor- 
ing for  the  good  of  souls.  And  I  was  just  now  think- 
ing of  the   foreign  missionary,    who    has    left  all  for 


164  AtTTOBIOGRAPHY   OV 

the  sake  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  not  only  for  a  few 
weeks  or  months,  hut  has  taken  a  final  leave  of  all 
that  was  dear  to  him  in  this  world,  and  has  crossed 
the  great  hroad  sea  to  carry  the  glad  tidings  of  salva- 
tion to  those  poor  souls  who  have  never  heard  of  the 
-Lamh  of  Grod  that  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the 
world. 

I  was  thinking,  I  say,  how  entirely  unspeakahle 
will  their  joys  be  when,  after  a  life  of  privation  and 
toil  in  the  cause  of  God,  and  for  the  good  of  souls, 
they  shall  meet  their  death-divided  friends  in  that 
bright  world  of  glory,  where  parting  will  be  known  no 
more. 

It  may  be  that  I  have  already  said  as  much  about 
my  labors  in  the  ministry  while  I  was  a  resident  of 
the  isle  of  the  sea,  as  I  ought  to  say.  Yet  there  are 
many  things  I  should  like  to  say  before  I  speak  of 
my  removal  from  this  place.  I  believe  I  have  al- 
ready said  that,  in  consequence  of  my  change  of 
sentiments,  not  a  few  of  those  who  before  this  were 
friendly,  both  of  Baptists  and  Congregationalists, 
became  exceedingly  severe  against  me,  and  seemed 
to  watch  every  opportunity  they  could  to  get  some- 
thing out  of  which  to  make  capital  to  my  disad- 
vantage. 

But  the  good  Lord  was  with  me,  and  I  have  found 
Him  stronger  than  all  those  who  were  against  me. 

My  anxiety  for  the  salvation  of  souls  in  the  time 
of  the  great  revival  here,  which  gave  rise  to  the  Free 
Will  Baptist  cause   and  the  Methodist  cause,  in  1828 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  165 

was  very  great.  I  could  hardly  rest  by  day  or  night. 
I  saw  clearly  that  sinners  were  in  danger  every  mo- 
ment of  losing  their  precious  souls,  unless  they  fled 
for  refuge  to  the  ark  of  safety,  which  is  Christ.  And 
I  still  view  them  in  danger.  I  then  proceeded  in 
perfect  harmony  with  such  a  view  of  their  danger- 
ous condition.  God  sent  me  to  warn  them  of  their 
danger,  and  God  blessed  my  efforts  and  crowned 
them  with  abundant  success,  so  that  many  precious 
souls  were,  through  my  instrumentality,  prevailed 
upon  to  seek  the  Lord  while  he  might  be  found 
and  to  call  upon  him  while   he  was  near. 

I  do  not  say  this  by  way  of  boasting,  for  I  have 
nothing  to  boast  of  any  more  than  the  pen  I  now 
hold  in  my  hand,  and  write  with,  has  something 
to  boast  of  because  I  use  it  to  write  with.  My  ob- 
ject in  trying  to  preach  Christ's  gospel  is  now,  and 
always  was,  to  save  souls.  I  do  not  say  to  save  souls 
from  hell  in  the  sense  that  some  seem  to  understand 
it,  though  that  may  be  included  in  my  motive  in 
some  respects  of  the  word ;  but  my  object  was  to 
alarm  sinners,  to  show  them  their  danger,  and  to 
prevail  on  them  to  let  their  sins  go,  and  come  to 
Christ,  that  they  might  have  eternal  life. 

In  my  opinion  the  way  to  save  sinners  from  hell 
ia  to  save  them  from  their  sins.  This  done,  and  there 
is  no  fear  of  hell  or  anything  else.  Let  sinners  get 
rid  of  their  sins  and  they  are  at  once  out  of  hell, 
and  into  heaven  as  it  were. 

But  some  said  I  was  too  violent   about   it.     I    deny 


166  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

the  charge  ;  who  could  be  too  violent  who  was  pulling 
folks  out  of  the  fire  ?  Now,  this  was  my  work  ; 
God  sent  me,  not  to  play  with  sinners,  nor  to  trifle 
with  them,  but  to  pull  them  out  of  the  fire  of  sin  as 
fast  as  possible.  And  he  told  me  how  to  do  it ;  and 
I  have  no  doubt  that  if  every  person  had  minded 
his  own  business,  I  should,  by  the  help  of  God,  have 
got  more  out  of  the  fire  than  I  did.  But  I  shall 
certainly  praise  God  to  all  eternity  for  the  success  I 
have  already  had  in  this  great  work  of  saving  souls. 

Some  said  I  was  insane  ;  I  did  not  know  but  that 
it  might  be  so,  and  in  order  to  settle  this  point,  if 
possible,  I  took  a  slate  and  pencil  one  day  and  thought 
I  would  try  a  sum  in  fractions.  I  concluded  an  in- 
sane person  could  not  be  a  good  mathematician.  I 
found  no  difficulty,  the  sum  proving  perfectly  cor- 
rect. But  then,  I  had  a  surer  touchstone  of  sanity 
than  figures,  and  that  was  the  change,  or  rather  the 
fruit  of  that  change,  that  appeared  in  the  lives  of 
those  who  professed  to  experience  religion  under 
my  labors  in  the  ministry.  The  swearing  man  left 
off  swearing,  the  drinking  man  left  of  drinking  and 
became  a  sober  man,  the  Sabbath  breaker,  who  be- 
fore conversion  would  visit  the  rum  shop  on  the 
Sabbath,  was  now  found  in  the  sanctuary,  listening 
to  the  voice  of  wisdom.  The  worldly-minded  man, 
who  was  trying  so  hard  to  get  an  abundance  of  this 
world  that  he  could  hardly  leave  his  labor  on  the 
Sabbath,  now  made  every  preparation  necessary  to 
attend    meeting  on    the   Sabbath  ;    and   time   would 


LEMUEL    NOKTON.  167 

fail  mo  to  speak  of  all  the  glorious  triumphs  of 
God's  grace  in  this  day  of  his  power  among  the 
people. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  meetings  that  I  now 
think  of,  was  at  a  place  called  Norwood's  Cove, 
which  is  now  in  Tremont.  This  began  at  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  and  continued  till  very  late  at  night. 
In  the  first  place,  I  preached  a  discourse  from  the 
text,  "  And  to  know  the  love  of  Christ,  which  pas- 
seth  knowledge,  that  ye  might  be  filled  with  all  the 
fulness  of  God."  Eph.  iii.  19.  I  then  gave  liberty, 
when  the  Congregational  minister  rose,  and  seeing 
the  weeping  and  even  trembling  in  the  congregation, 
observed,  "This  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the 
power  of  God  ;  and  I,"  said  he,  "  have  always  told 
you  that  nothing  short  of  his  power  could  bring 
about  a  reformation  in  this  place ; "  he  then  took 
his  seat.  All  who  wished  to  be  prayed  for  were 
invited  to  manifest  it  by  rising,  when  a  large  portion 
of  the  assembly  rose ;  they  were  then  requested  to 
pray  for  themselves,  which  they  accordingly  did. 

In  a  short  time,  some  who  fell  on  their  knees  and 
cried  for  mercy,  arose  to  their  feet  and  praised  the 
Lord,  and  commenced  warning  others,  so  that  it 
was  difficult  to  discern  between  those  who  were 
crying  for  mercy  and  those  who  were  praising  the 
Lord  for  his  goodness  and  his  wonderful  works  to 
the  children  of  men.  It  was  a  season  never  to  be 
forgotten.  No  one  appeared  disposed  to  say  aught 
against  it,  every  one  believing  it  to  be  the  work  of 
the   Lord.     At   a  late   hour   this  wonderful  meeting 


168  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

broke  up,  and  the  congregation  dispersed  to  their 
several  homes  to  get  some  little  rest.  F  had,  per- 
haps, twenty  or  thirty  rods  to  go,  and  then  immedi- 
ately retired  and  attempted  to  compose  my  mind  to 
sleep,  when  the  cock  erew,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
more  I  perceived  the  light  of  day  coming  in  at  the 
window.  I  perceived  there  was  no  sleep  for  me  that 
night,  neither  did  I  wish  for  any;  my  cup  of  joy  was 
full  to  the  brim.  This  was  the  first  and  only  night  in 
which  I  was  kept  awake  all  night  for  the  good  of 
souls.  It  was  a  blessed  night  to  me.  I  have  often 
thought  of  it  with  satisfaction — one  whole  night  for 
him  who  continued  all  night  in  prayer  to  Grod  for  me. 
Oh,  that  love.  I  am  glad  that  that  mighty  cham- 
pion of  the  Gospel,  St.  Paul,  said  that  it  passeth 
knowledge. 

"  Oh  !  his  love,  what  tongue  can  tell, 
My  Jesus  hath  done  all  things  -well." 

I  soon  arose  and  retired  for  secret  devotion,  but 
my  mouth  was  filled  with  his  praises.  I  had  meat  to 
eat  that  the  world  knew  not  of.  Twenty-two,  it 
was  charitably  hoped,  in  that  meeting,  passed  from 
death  unto  life,  who  afterwards  united  with  the 
church  of  Christ,  and  became  living  epistles  of  the 
truth,  known  and  read  of  all  men.  Some  of  them 
have  long  since  passed  over  Jordan  to  their  reward, 
and  some  remain  with  us  to  this  present  day. 

Passing  over  a  great  many  interesting  incidents 
that  took  place  during  my  stay  upon  this  island,  I 
will  call  the  attention  of  the  reader  to  some  of  the 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  169 

reasons  why  I  moved  my  family  into  the  county  of 
Waldo.  The  first  of  which  was,  that  it  is  so  remote 
from  the  people  with  whom  I  had  become  associated. 
It  was  attended  with  too  much  difficulty  to  get  off 
and  on  the  island  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  And 
another  thing,  I  was  getting  on  in  the  journey  of 
life  so  far  that  I  began  to  be  more  timid  about  going 
from  island  to  island  in  small  boats.  And  then  I 
thought  if  I  moved  off,  some  younger  man  might 
move  on  and  take  my  place.  Another  consideration 
I  will  name,  I  had  here  borne  the  heat  and  burden 
of  the  day  in  establishing  the  doctrine  of  free  and 
full  salvation  for  every  creature  whether  he  will 
receive  it  or  not.  That  is  to  say,  if  any  are  lost,  it 
will  not  be  because  there  was  not  provision  made 
for  them  in  the  covenant  of  grace,  but  simply  be- 
cause they  would  not  accept  of  it  on  the  terms  of  the 
gospel.  I  say,  having  by  the  grace  of  God  been 
enabled  to  fully  establish  this  glorious  doetrine  of 
free  and  full  salvation  for  every  creature,  without 
money  and  without  price,  and  having  lived  down  the 
calumny  and  falsehood  heaped  upon  me  for  intro- 
ducing the  Free  Will  Baptist  faith  and  discipline, 
I  felt  a  desire  to  move  where  the  people  of  my  own 
choice  were  more  numerous,  and  more  known  as  a 
people  of  the  Lord.  From  these  and  various  other 
considerations  that  might  be  named,  I  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  if  it  should  please  the  Lord  to  open  a 
way  for  me,  I  would  move  off  into  some  other  field  of 
labor,  where  I  might,  perhaps,  be  more  useful  than 
8 


170  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

I  could  be  on  this  rather  remote  island  of  the  sea. 

Accordingly,  on  the  first  of  September,  1835,  I 
left  home  and  went  in  pursuit  of  a  small  farm  and 
destitute  church,  where  I  might  farm  it  some  and 
preach  some,  and  in  this  way  support  my  family  and 
do  some  good  in  the  cause  of  Zion. 

After  traveling  over  a  number  of  counties  in  the  cen- 
tral part  of  the  State,  and  finding  nothing  that  in  every 
respect  suited  my  idess  of  a  good  place  for  me  and 
my  family,  I  finally  returned,  having  accomplished 
nothing,  except  that  I  had  the  privilege  of  preaching 
to  many  whom  I  had  never  before  seen 

Now,  to  make  short  this  part  of  my  history,  I  would 
just  say  that,  having  disposed  of  my  farm  and  settled 
up  my  worldly  affairs,  so  that  I  owed  no  man  anything, 
I  put  my  effects  and  my  family  on  board  a  good  little 
schooner  of  about  fifty  tons  burden,  William  Gott, 
master,  and  told  him  to  steer  westerly,  and  to  put  into 
the  first  river  that  he  should  come  to,  having  fair  wind 
for  that  purpose. 

Acoordingly,  the  next  day,  we  found  ourselves  sail- 
ing up  the  Penobscot,  and  in  a  few  hours  were  made 
fast  to  the  wharf  in  Belfast.  Here  we  hired  a  house 
and  remained  some  weeks,  while  I  was  finding  a  place 
to  locate  my  family  where  they  would  not  be  learning 
the  vices  of  a  city  life. 

Montville,  in  the  County  of  Hancock,  proved  to  be 
the  place  for  me.  Here  I  purchased  a  small  farm  of 
about  fifty  acres,  which  I  greatly  improved  by  my 
own  industry  and  what  help  I  received  from  the 
people. 


LEMUEL    KOETON.  171 

Here  I  was,  a  plenty  of  good  land,  producing 
twenty  bushels  of  the  very  best  of  wheat,  forty  bush- 
els of  sound  corn,  and  two  hundred  bushels  of  pota- 
toes to  the  acre,  with  a  gpod  young  orchard,  plenty 
of  apples  and  cider,  and  wood  of  every  description  in 
abundance.  To  this  place  I  came  in  the  month  of  Oo- 
tober,  1835,  being  then  fifty  years  of  age,  and  able  to 
do  as  good  a  day's  work  on  my  farm  as  T  wanted  any 
other  man  to  do. 

This  might  fairly  be  called  a  Free  Will  Baptist 
town.  In  it  there  were  three  if  not  four  F.  W.  B. 
churches ;  the  one  where  I  had  settled  down  was  des- 
titute of  a  minister.  In  this  town  dwelt  Rev.  Ebenez- 
er  Knowlton  and  Rev.  John  True.  Here  was  the  place 
where  the  pious  and  devoted  Elder  John  Colby  labor- 
ed and  toiled  for  souls,  and  saw  the  salvation  of  God 
marvelously  displayed  in  the  conviction  and  conversion 
of  many  souls  through  his  instrumentality. 

Here  I  commenced  preaching  statedly  every  Sab- 
bath, according  to  the  wishes  of  the  church  and  the 
people.  This  church  was  small  and  very  feeble. 
Universalism  had  done  its  nefarious  work  here  ; — 
some  had  been  ensnared  with  it,  and  had  become  the 
worst  enemies  the  church  had  to  cope  with.  Some 
had  died,  and  numbers  had  moved  out  West.  One 
thing  always  puzzled  me  in  reference  to  this  people, 
and  that  was  this,  that  Montville  is  one  of  the  very 
best  farming  towns  between  the  two  rivers — that  is 
to  say,  between  the  Penobscot  and  the  Kennebec ; 
the  soil  is  excellent,   always  rewarding  the  husband- 


172  AUTOBIOGKAPHY    OF 

man  abundantly  for  his  labors,  and  yet  there  is  more 
emigration  from  this  town  than  from  any  other  in  the 
State  of  the  same  number  of  inhabitants. 

It  was  not  long  after  moving  into  this  place  before 
I  began  to  think  that  I  must  travel  and  preach  the  gos- 
pel in  other  towns  also.  Accordingly  I  furnished  my- 
self with  good  means  of  conveyance,  and  when  it  was 
consistent  with  my  other  engagements  to  leave  home, 
I  did  so,  and  went  from  town  to  town,  visiting  and  en- 
couraging destitute  churches,  and  in  some  places  or- 
ganizing new  ones. 

My  manner  of  getting  along  was,  when  at  home,  to 
do  up  my  work  as  fast  as  possible,  then  leave  and 
be  absent  a  number  of  days,  sometimes  a  number 
of  weeks,  and  then  return  and  work  early  and  late 
to  make  up  for  lost  time,  and  then  go  away  again 
to  attend  some  yearly,  quarterly,  or  protracted  meet- 
ing. This,  to  be  sure,  was  a  hard  way  of  living,  but 
hard  as  it  was,  I  could  devise  no  other  way  for  me 
to  do.  To  leave  off  preaching  altogether  would  not 
do  ;  there  was  an  inexpressible  woe  attendant  upon 
that  course,  besides  guilt  of  conscience  that  I  could 
not  and  would  not  endure.  Had  I  taken  this  course, 
and  given  up  the  ministry  altogether,  I  might  have 
supported  my  family  with  comparative  ease,  and  in 
affluent  circumstances.  This,  as  I  said  before,  I 
could  not  conscientiously  do.  If  I  give  up  farming, 
my  family  must  snffer  for  the  necessaries  of  life,  aud 
certainly  to  leave  them  to  suffer  would  be  denying 
the  faith    and  becoming   worse  than   an   infidel.     So 


LEMtfEl  KOBtOff.  173 

here  I  was,  like  the  colt  spoken  of  in  the  Scriptures, 
tied  between  two  ways,  the  family  pulling  one  way* 
and  the  suffering  condition  of  the  churches  and  per- 
ishing condition  of  sinners  the  other  Way.  Now"* 
what  was  to  be  done  ?  If  the  people  to  whom  I  preach- 
ed had  done  their  duty,  I  should  have  been  relieved  at 
once.  But  in  most  cases  where  I  have  traveled  they 
have  seemed  to  ignore  the  fact  that  they  who  preach 
the  gospel  should  live  of  the  gospel. 

While  a  resident  of  this  town,  I  preached  in  Bel- 
mont, and  baptized  a  number  of  persons,  and  organ- 
ized a  church  there,  which  still  belongs  to  the  Mont- 
ville  Quarterly  Meeting.  I.  B.  Kimball  is  their  pres- 
ent pastor.  In  Lincolnville,  Appleton,  Belfast,  Pros- 
pect, Swanville,  Palermo,  Freedom,  China,  Rockland, 
Thomaston,  Warren,  Knox,  Brooks,  Thorndike,  Jack- 
son, Washington,  Liberty,  and  perhaps  scores  of  other 
towns  in  and  out  of  the  Country  of  Waldo,  but  it  will 
do  the  reader  no  good  to  hear  of  all  my  particular 
ramblings  over  the  State  of  Maine. 

In  1838,  the  last  day  of  the  year,  We  were  called 
to  part  with  our  second  son.  He  was  lost  at  sea, 
while  mate  of  a  brig,  of  which  his  elder  brother  was 
master,  the  first  day  out  from  Wilmington,  N.  C, 
bound  to  the  West  Indies.  While  securing  one  of 
the  anchors  to  the  bow  of  the  vessel,  a  sea  struck 
him  and  washed  him  overboard.  Every  possible  ef- 
fort was  made  to  save  him,  but  it  was  impossible. 
The  wind  blowing  very  hard  at  the  time,  and  the  brig 
going  through  the  water  at  the  rate  of  nine  miles  to 


i74  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    Of 

the  hour,  he  had  to  he  left,  as  many  a  young  man  has 
had  to  he,  to  make  his  grave  in  the  houndless  deep. 
He  was  a  young  man  of  much  promise,  having  obtain- 
ed  a  good  education,  in  part  at  Readfield  Seminary, 
and  at  other  places.  This  was  the  greatest  affliction 
that  we  had  ever  met  with.  My  poor  wife,  I  think, 
never  got  entirely  over  this.  There  was  hut  one  allevi- 
ating circumstance  about  this  bereavement,  and  that 
was,  Lemuel  was  prepared  to  go.  Sudden  and  dread- 
ful as  was  his  death,  and  thongh  an  indescribable  loss 
to  Us,  to  him  it  was  gain.  He  experienced  religion 
when  but  nine  years  of  age,  in  the  time  of  a  powerful 
work  of  the  Lord  in  Mt.  Desert.  While  the  evening 
sacrifice  of  prayer  and  praise  was  being  offered  up  to 
God,  while  on  his  knees  by  his  father's  side,  his  soul 
first  breathed  the  vital  air  of  life  divine,  and  felt  the 
love  of  God  shed  abroad  in  his  child-like  heart.  I 
shall  always  be  thankful  to  God  for  that  mercy,  be- 
cause he  converted  him  to  the  knowledge  and  acknowl- 
edgment of  the  truth  when  but  a  mere  child.  Oh, 
how  precious  the  thought,  to  think  that  while  that 
young  man  was  struggling  with  death  in  the  midst  of 
the  foaming  billows,  his  Saviour's  eye  was  upon  him, 
angels,  commissioned  from  the  throne  of  the  Eternal, 
were  there  hovering  over  him,  ready,  as  soon  as  the 
last  struggle  was  ever,  to  receive  his  released  spirit 
on  their  wings,  and  bear  it  home  to  the  paradise  of 
God. 

This  was  the  first   inroad  that  death  had  made  into 
our  family  of  ten  children,  and  a  fearful  breach  it  was 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  175 

— never  to  be  made  up  to  us  in  this  world,  though  my 
companion  bore  it  with  Christian  fortitude  and  calm 
submission  to  the  divine  will. 

There  was  one  little  incident  not  wholly  uncon- 
nected with  the  events  of  the  sad  day  that  brought 
us  the  tidings  that  our  son  was  lost,  that  seems 
worthy  of  remark.  A  few  days  previous  to  this,  I 
had  received  an  invitation  to  preach  at  the  house  of  a 
Universalist,  from  the  text,  "  And  other  sheep  I  have, 
which  are  not  of  this  fold  ;  them  also  must  I  bring, 
and  there  shall  be  one  fold  and  one  shepherd.'  My 
appointment  had  gone  out  to  preach  that  very  even- 
ing, according  to  request.  Not  being  willing  to  disap- 
point the  people,  I  attended,  according  to  promise, 
and  explained  the  text  as  well  as  I  could  under  those 
circumstances,  and  I  believe  to  the  general  satisfaction 
of  all  present. 

I  used  frequently  to  give  temperance  addresses 
at  the  different  places  where  I  was  called  upon  thus 
to  do. 

In  1848,  I  was  again,  in  the  providence  of  God, 
called  to  taste  deep  of  the  bitter  cup  of  affliction, 
by  having  to  part  with  my  companion,  with  whom 
I  had  shared  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  life  nearly 
forty  years,  and  had  brought  up  a  family  of  ten  child- 
dren,  the  youngest  being  about  sixteen  years  of  age 
when  his  mother  died. 

The  following  extract  from  a  brief  notice  of  the 
death  of  my  wife  is  from  the  "  Morning  Star,"  of  March 
29th,  1848,  a  religious  paper  printed  in  Dover,  N.  H. : 


176  AUTOB  JO  GRAPHS    OF 

Died  in  Montville,  Maine,  January   18th,  Mary,  wife  of  Rev» 
Lemuel  Norton,   in   the  fifty-eighth  year   of  her  age.      Sister 
Norton    experienced    religion   1813.      She    was    baptized    by 
Rev.  Lemuel  Jackson,  and  united  with  the  Baptist  church  in 
Sedgwick,  and  together  with  het  husband,  remained  with  the 
Baptists   fifteen  years,   after  which  they  both  renounced  the 
doctrine  of  a  limited  atonement,   unconditional  election,   close 
communion,   etc.,  and  joined  the  Free  Will  Baptists,  believing, 
as  they  do,  that  the  atonement  was   designed  as  much  for  one 
person  as   another,  and  that  the  only  reason  why  some   are 
saved  and  others  lost,  is,  because  some  obey  the  gospel  while 
others  reject  it.     She  continued  with  the   Free  Will  Baptists 
till  removed    by    death    to    the    church    triumphant.      Being 
brought  up  by  a  pious  grandmother,  she  was  taught  the  fear 
of  the  Lord  from  a  child.     The  prominent  traits  in  her  char- 
acter were  as  follows :    An    even    temper,   always  mild    and 
pleasant ;    industrious,   always    usefully  employed ;    a    keeper 
at  home,  only  when  duty  called  her  awayj   the   Bible,    Sab- 
bath, and  Sanctuary,  she  considered  as  rich  legacies  from  her 
heavenly  Father ;  her  faith  in  the  promises  was  unwavering  \ 
her  attachment  to  and  care  of  her  own  family  was  great,  and 
that  without  the  least  indifference  to   the  welfare  of  others. 
In  a  word,  her  happiness  consisted  in   communion  with   God 
snd  in  doing  good.    The  last  thirty-five  years  of  her  life  was 
an   even   spun  thread  of  holiness  to  the   Lord.     But  she  has 
left  us.     Having  finished  her   course  and   kept  the  faith,  she 
rests  from  her  labors,  and  her  works  do  follow  her.     At  her 
funeral  a  very  large  concourse   of   people    attended,   when  a 
solemn  and  appropriate  discourse  was  delivered  by  Rev.  Eben- 
ezer  Knowlton,   in   which    Rev.   T.   B.   Robinson   and    Rev. 
Ezekiel  Fogg  took  part,  from  the  text,  Prov.  xiv.  32,  "  The  right- 
eous hath  hope  in  his  death." 


LEMUEL    N0ET0N.  177 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

In  the  April  following  this  sad  bereavement  I 
broke  np  housekeeping,  and  sold  at  public  auction 
about  everything  I  possessed  except  my  farm,  and 
removed  to  Belfast,  where  I  stopped  but  a  few  months, 
and  then  began  again  t©  travel,  and  sound  the  glorious 
gospel  to  perishing  sinners. 

Very  unexpectedly  one  day,  while  attending  some 
evening  meetings  in  Boothbay,  I  fell  in  with  my 
youngest  son,  Thomas  Norton,  who  informed  me  that 
he  would  rather  not  go  to  sea  any  longer,  but  wished 
me  to  return  to  Montville  and  commence  keeping 
house  again.  And  principally  for  his  sake,  as  he 
was  a  youth  of  about  seventeen,  I  consented;  and 
in  the  fall  of  1848  I  again  returned  to  Montville, 
stocked  my  farm  anew,  and  went  on  life's  journey 
as  well  as  I  could.  But  I  soon  found  great  difficulty 
arise  from  the  want  of  some  one  to  keep  the 
house.  I  hired  the  best  of  help,  to  be  sure,  but  in 
two  cases  out  of  three,  some  one  else,  whom  I 
knew  nothing  about,  had  more  control  over  them  than 
I  had,  so  that  when  I  wanted  them  most,  they  would 
be  off  I  knew  not  where.  This  made  it  unpleasant. 
My  daughters  were  either  married,  or  away  trying 
to  do  something  for  themselves,  except  the  young- 
est, who,  about  this  time,  returned  from  the  city  of 
Belfast,  where  she  had  been  living,  in  the  family  of 
8* 


178  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

a  highly  respectable  gentleman  by  the  name  of  H.  0. 
Alden,  Esq.,  in  a  state  of  partial  derangement,  oc- 
casioned by  having  the  typhus  fever  a  few  weeks  be- 
fore. This  was  my  third  great  trial,  and  such  a  one 
as  but  few  parents  have  to  pass  through  in  this 
present  world.  After  remaining  at  home  about  fif- 
teen months,  and  becoming  rather  dangerous,  it  was 
thought  best  by  all  concerned,  for  her  to  go  at 
the  hospital  at  Augusta.  Accordingly,  on  February 
5th,  1850,  I  took  her  with  me  to  the  hospital,  where 
she  continued,  with  but  two  short  intervals,  for  six 
years. 

During  my  daughter's  residence  at  the  Insane  Hos- 
pital, I  was  travelling  and  preaching  in  different 
parts  of  the  State  of  Maine,  and  in  this  way  I  found 
many  families  who  were  struggling  to  support  their 
insane  friends  at  the  hospital.  This  led  me  to  in- 
quire into  the  equality  of  that  law  which  virtually 
deprived,  in  a  great  measure,  the  poor  of  the  bene- 
fits of  the  hospital,  and  favored  the  rich,  on  account 
of  their  money,  to  be  sure,  with  all  its  benefits.  In 
consequence  of  this  view  of  the  subject,  I  obtained 
of  William  Munger,  Esq.,  Counsellor  at  Law,  of 
Portland,  a  petition  for  the  people  to  sign,  asking  a 
change  in  tho  Maine  Insane  Hospital  Law,  so  far  as 
for  the  State  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  poor  at  the 
hospital,  that  they  might  be  continued  there  instead 
of  being  thrust  into  a  miserable  almshouse,  there  to 
be  neglected,  and  to  perish  for  want  of  that  very 
care  and  attention  which  the   hospital  so    abundant- 


LEMUEL    NORTON.  179 

ly  provided.  In  1856  this  petition  was  granted  in 
part,  so  that  the  State  now  pays  one  dollar  a  week  for 
those  who  are  unahle  to  pay  their  own  bills. 

In  December  13th,  1848,  death  made  another 
call,  and  took  another  of  my  children,  Lydia  Jane 
Norton,  -wife  of  David  Norton,  Jr.,  son  of  David 
Norton,  Esq.,  of  Montville.  She  left  two  small 
children,  the  youngest  of  which  was  three  months 
old  at  the  the  time  of  her  death.  He  death  was  tri- 
umphant indeed.  As  I  entered  her  room  about  three 
hours  before  she  expired,  she  said  to  me  :  "  Dear 
father,  your  prayers  and  exhortations  have  kept  me 
from  committing  many  a  sin,  but  you  must  not  be 
surprised  if  I  have  a  number  of  hard  struggles  with 
death  before  I  get  through."  But,  contrary  to  her  ex- 
pectations, she  had  none.  The  last  words  she  uttered 
were  :  "  This  bed,  which  felt  so  hard  a  few  days  ago, 
now  feels  like  a  bed  of  down." 

In  1850,  May  11th,  another  dear  daughter  was 
suddenly  taken  from  her  little  family,  leaving  to  de- 
plore their  loss  a  husband  and  five  small  children, 
the  youngest  of  whom  was  but  twenty  hours  old 
when  its  fond  mother  closed  her  eyes  upon  all  things 
earthly. 

Time  rolls  on  ;  days,  months  and  years  pass  rap- 
idly by,  like  swift  ships,  in  quick  succession. 

November  22d,  1849,  I  was  married  to  my  second 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sophronia  Averell,  of 
Alna,  Maine,  with  whom  I  am  now  living. 

After   returning   home  from  a  tour,  in  which  I  vis- 


180  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

ited  Boston  and  many  other  towns  in  New  Eng- 
land, we  removed  from  North  to  South  Montville, 
where  I  built  a  small  dwelling  house,  and  remained 
about  two  years. 

Before  this,  several  of  my  children  having  moved 
to  Falmouth,  County  of  Cumberland,  I  concluded, 
for  their  sake  as  we  1  as  my  own,  to  sell  out,  and 
make  one  more  move,  in  order  to  be  near  my  child- 
ren when  it  should  please  my  Heavenly  Father  to 
call  me  to  that  home  from  which  there  will  never  be 
any  occasion  for  removing. 

Accordingly,  after  selling  my  house  to  the  good 
brother  who  built  it  for  me,  namely,  Joseph  Fogg, 
Esq.,  I  took  a  team  and  started  for  the  cars  in  Gardi- 
ner, and  on  the  27th  of  May,  1856,  we  arrived  at  our 
new  home  in  Falmouth,  where  we  have  lived  ever  since, 
it  being  just  five  years  next  month. 

Since  my  arrival  here,  after  preaching  a  short 
time  in  the  city  of  Portland,  at  the  almshouse,  I  have 
traveled  and  preached  more  extensively  than  ever — 
in  New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island, 
Connecticut,  New  York,  and  Philadelphia,  mostly  in 
seamen's  Bethels. 

June,  1860,  took  a  tour  to  Acton,  Maine ;  took 
the  cars  to  North  Berwick.  June,  5th,  passed  over 
the  road  to  Lebanon ;  stopped  at  Brother  Bicker's. 
June  6th,  when  within  two  miles  of  the  meeting 
house  in  Acton,  while  ascending  a  steep  hill,  our 
horse,  which  was  very  smart,  took  fright  by  meeting 
a  cow  with  a  piece   of  board  over  her  eyes,  and   turn- 


LEMUEL   NORTON.  181 

ing  suddenly  around,  threw  me  out  with  such  great 
force  as  almost  to  dislocate  my  neck.  The  good 
Lord  saved  me  for  some  purpose,  I  hardly  know 
what  —  to  write  this  book,  it  may  be.  While  at- 
tending the  Quarterly  Meeting  in  this  place,  I  had 
the  privilege  of  stopping  all  night  with  Brother 
Farnham,  who  was  in  his  one  hundred  and  fifth  year, 
and  who  is  the  last  of  the  survivors  who  were  pres- 
ent at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill ;  and  what  aston- 
ished me  was  his  strength  and  activity,  attending 
the  meetings  like  any  gentleman  of  seventy-five  or 
eighty.  June  8th,  arrived  in  Biddeford.  Lord's 
Day,  10th,  preached  to  the  Cedar  Street  Church. 
11th,  took  a  walk  through  the  Cotton  Mills.  June 
12th,  went  down  the  river  in  a  sail-boat  to  the  Pool, 
so  called  ;  fifty-eight  years  ago,  when  but  a  youth, 
I  visited  this  place ;  only  two  or  three  houses  here 
then  —  now  it  is  quite  a  village  ;  went  up  into  the 
top  of  the  light-house  on  Wood  Island ;  could  see 
Cape  Elizabeth  and  Boone  Island  in  the  distance ; 
Mr.  Bryant,  who  keeps  this  light  for  three  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  a  year,  has  every  thing  in  good  or- 
der in  this  place;  at  two  P.  M.  returned  to  the 
Pool,  and  had  a  meeting  in  the  evening  at  the 
school  house :  subject,  "  Preciousness  of  Christ." 
Thursday,  June  14/Zi,  returned  to  the  city.  Very 
warm  to-day.  Lord's  Day,  17th,  preached  for  the 
Unitarian  Church  in  Kennebunk.  Stopped  at  the 
Massum  House.  19th,  attended  the  Yearly  Meet- 
ing in   Wells.      Had   rather   a   rainy  time,  though   a 


182  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

very  interesting  meeting.  Friday,  22d,  rode  to  the 
Deach,  a  distance  of  six  miles ;  returned  at  night, 
and  stopped  at  Senator  Wells's,  whose  great-great- 
grandfather was  the  man  for  whom  this  town  was 
named ;  Brother  Wells  had  a  son  at  the  Maine 
State  Seminary  who  was  injured  hy  falling  from  a 
swing  so  that  he  died  soon  after.  Lord's  Day,  24th 
preached  for  the  Calvanist  Baptists  to-day ;  had  a 
pleasant  time  with  them.  July  1st,  preached  for 
the  Free  Will  Baptists  in  Wells.  Monday,  returned 
to  Portland, — stopped  over  the  Fourth,  —  went  to 
the  fireworks,  which  were  very  splendid.  Returned 
home  on  the  fifth,  having  been  absent  one  month 

Having  given  the  reader  a  very  brief  summary 
of  some  of  my  journeyings  from  place  to  place 
while  engaged  in  the  great  work  of  travelling  and 
preaching  the  gospel,  I  shall  now  draw  towards  a 
close  of  this  work,  by  a  few  extracts  taken  from  my 
journal  while  on  a  tour  to  New- York  and  Philadel- 
phia, in  the  summer  of  1860. 

Being  somewhat  at  leisure  about  this  time,  I 
thought  I  would  go  and  visit  these  cities  out  of 
which  I  used  to  go  to  sea  when  a  youth,  not  know- 
ing but  that  I  might  possibly  recover  something  of 
the  wages  which  I  earned  while  on  board  the  ship 
Concord,  of  Philadelphia,  which  was  lost  on  the 
coast  of  Florida,  after  being  taken  by  a  British  man- 
of-war. 

Accordingly,  on  the  ninth  of  August,  1860,  I 
went  on   board  the   steamer  Patapsco,  for  New  York, 


LEMUEL  N0ET0N.  183 

and  arrived  there  the  tenth  ;  in  the  afternoon  crossed 
the  ferry  to  Jersey  City;  put  up  at  the  Philadel- 
phia House  ;  1  lih,  took  the  cars  for  Philadelphia ; 
arrived  at  1  P.  M.  ;  took  lodgings  at  the  widow 
Galloway's,  27  1-2  North  Second  street.  Sunday, 
12th,  heard  Rev.  Mr.  Hutter  deliver  a  discourse, 
subject,  "  Perils  in  the  City."  3Ionday,  13th,  very 
warm.  Went  to  the  Custom  House  and  examined 
the  records  of  clearances  of  vessels  for  1803  and 
1804;  could  find  no  account  of  the  ship,  but  here  I 
made  a  mistake — it  was  in  1805  that  I  was  cast 
away  in  the  English  sloop-of-war  Fly.  Stopped  in 
the  city  a  few  days,  and  preached  in  the  Seamen's 
Bethel.  August  1 5th,  walked  down  to  the  Navy 
Yard,  saw  several  men-of-war.  The  steam  frigate 
Powhattan,  lying  in  the  river,  had  just  arrived  from 
China,  by  the  way  of  Rio,  having  been  absent  four- 
teen months,  and  as  it  was  said,  had  rendered  much 
service  to  her  country.  Thursday  16th,  took  the 
cars  this  morning,  and  arrived  in  New  York,  at 
eleven  A.  M. — just  in  season  to  attend  the  Fulton 
street  prayer  meeting.  Saw  the  Great  Eastern  lying 
in  the  North  River.  Preached  in  the  Seamen's 
Bethel  in  the  evening,  for  Rev.  Mr.  Steward,  Bap- 
tist. Friday,  visited  many  parts  of  the  city,  espe- 
cially the  Free  Will  Baptist  Meeting  House,  which 
is  a  most  thoroughly  built  church,  and  in  a  very 
popular  part  of  the  city,  containing  many  convenient 
rooms  in  the  basement  for  the  convenience  of  those 
whose  privilege   it   may  be   to    occupy   them.     Took 


184  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OP 

dinner  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Moulton,  present  pastor, 
(Eev.  Mr.  Graham  being  now  in  Europe,)  at  Broth- 
er Winch's  in  Horatio  street.  At  five  P.  M.,  took 
passage  in  the  steamer  Commonwealth,  of  New 
York,  for  Stonington — thank  the  Lord  for  relief 
from  the  noise  and  hustle  cf  the  great  metropolis  of 
the  United  States.  Lord's  Day,  19lh,  preached  in 
the  Baptist  Church  in  Stonington  ;  subject :  "  Joy  in 
Heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth,"  etc. ;  in  the 
evening  spoke  to  the  colored  church.  Holiday,  20th, 
took  the  cars,  and  at  eleven  A.  M.  arrived  in  Prov- 
idence ;  found  Brother  Day  not  at  home  ;  took  my 
trunk  to  Deacon  Kelly's,  78  Knight  street ;  called  to 
see  Professor  Hayes,  at  Olneyville.  Tuesday  21st, 
attended  a  meeting  at  Olneyville  ;  22d,  went  to 
Greenwich,  and  attended  a  funeral  in  company  with 
Brother  Baker,  a  Baptist  minister;  in  the  evening 
preached  at  the  Baptist  House  in  East  Greenwich. 
Thursday,  23d,  took  the  cars  again  for  Providence, 
and  called  on  Rev.  Dr.  Wayland.  At  three  P.  M., 
on  board  the  Bradford  Duffee,  for  Fall  River — very 
showery  to-day — preached  in  the  evening  in  Fall 
River.  August  21th,  took  the  cars,  and  arrived  at 
New  Bedford  at  ten  A.  M.  Preached  in  the  evening 
at  the  Missionary  Bethel ;  25th,  at  Taunton.  Preach- 
ed at  Taunton  on  the  Sabbath  for  Reverend  Mr. 
Gowen,  Free  Will  Baptist.  Monday  27th,  at  Sailors' 
Home  in  Boston  ;  all  night  at  Dr.  Enoch  Osgood's  ; 
28th,  very  pleasant ;  preached  at  the  Sailors'  Home, 
in  Purchase  Place  ;  29th,  at  a  prayer   meeting   in   the 


LEMUEL   NOBTOtf.  185 

Old  South.  Made  a  few  remarks  in  reference  to 
Christ's  power  and  willingness  to  save  sinners.  One 
night  in  Charlestown.  Thursday,  3CMA,  went  to  Mil- 
ford  ;  David  Norton's  family  gone  to  Montville. — < 
Went  to  East  Boston — saw  my  son-in-law,  David 
Norton.  Took  dinner  with  Rev.  Mr-  Cox,  Methodist, 
and  returned  to  Purchase  Street  Sailors'  Home,  and 
at  five  P.  M,,  took  steamer  for  Portland.  Arrived 
home  August  3\st ;  found  all  well,  after  being  absent 
twenty-two  days,  during  which  time  I  experienced 
much  of  the  loving  kindness  of  the  Lord,  and  much 
sympathy  of  friends  and  strangers. 

Since  my  return  from  Philadelphia  I  have  been 
traveling  and  preaching  in  different  places  in  the 
State,  and  find  myself  somewhat  infirm  on  account  of 
my  advanced  age. 

I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  will  be  as 
well  for  me  to  close  this  memoir  by  giving  a  few 
words  of  advice  to  the  youthful  readers.  I  am  aware 
that  it  is  much  easier  to  give  good  advice  than  it  is 
to  receive,  and  obey  it.  But  I  will  here  offer  a  few 
thoughts  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  may  chance  to 
read  this  book,  after  its  author  has  passed  to  that 
bourne  from  whence  there  is  no  return. 

And,  in  the  first  place,  I  would  advise  you  to  be 
exceeding  cautious  how  you  contract  any  bad  hab- 
its at  any  time  of  life,  especially  while  you  are  young. 
If  you  should,  when  you  come  to  be  of  maturer  age, 
and  find  them  destructive  to  you  happiness  and  well- 
being  in  this  life,  as  well  as  in  that  which  is  to  come, 


186  AtTTOETOGBAPHY    OF 

you  will  perceive  that  it  is  almost  impossible  for 
you  to  get  rid  of  them  ;  they  will  grow  with  your 
growth  and  strengthen  with  your  strength,  till  they 
become  incorporated  into  the  very  texture  of  your  soul 
and  become  a  sort  of  second  nature  to  you,  and 
be  as  difficult  to  overcome  as  though  they  were  born 
with  you  and  in  you.  Therefore,  see  to  it  that  you 
successfully  resist  the  first  approach  of  temptation  to 
do  anything  wrong.  And  when  and  wherever  you 
are  at  a  loss  to  know  what  is  right  and  what  is  wrong, 
let  conscience  and  the  Bible  settle  the  matter ;  they 
will  generally  agree,  and  when  they  do  they  are  invaria- 
bly right. 

Again,  the  wicked  one  is  always  busy  with  youth  ; 
the  strength  of  his  kingdom  depends  very  much  upon 
the  youthfulness  of  his  subjects.  Oh  !  let  lovely 
youth  beware  of  his  devices.  He  begins  with  little- 
it  may  be  to  take  an  apple  as  you  pass  them  on  the 
sidewalk — it  may  be  some  other  trifling  thing  that 
does  not  belong  to  you — no  matter  how  insignificant 
the  article,  his  object  is  to  make  you  a  transgressor 
of  God's  law.  I  do  not  think  that  Satan  expects 
to  make  at  once  a  thorough  and  finished  sinner  of 
any  yonth,  but  he  tries,  if  possible,  to  sow  the  seeds 
of  sin  in  youthful  hearts  before  the  seeds  of  grace 
are  sown,  and  to  frustrate  his  wicked  designs,  let 
all  young  people,  if  possible,  attend  the  Sabbath 
School; 

And  finally,  let  every  one  seek  first  the  kingdom 
of  God  and  his  righteousness,  and  all  good  things 
shall  be  theirs. 


SERMON. 


tTNTO    YOU,     THEREFORE,    -WHICH    BELIEVE    HE     18    PRECI0U8. — 

1  Peter,  ii.  7. 

Whatever  is  precious  is  costly — is  of  great  price. 
Gold  is  precious — partly  because  of  its  scarcity,  and 
partly  on  account  of  its  great  usefulness  among  men. 
Diamonds  and  pearls  are  precious,  too,  on  account 
of  their  intrinsic  value  ;  but  none  of  these  are  so 
precious  as  Christ. 

He  is  precious  whether  we  believe  on  Him  or  not. 
Our  faith  makes  no  alteration  in  Christ.  He  is  the 
same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever.  Faith  in  Christ 
changes  our  relation  to  him  and  his  relation  to  us  ; 
that  is  to  say,  if  we  believe  in  him,  He  becomes  our 
Saviour,  and  we  become  his  children,  his  friends,  etc. 

In  discoursing  briefly  upon  these  words,  I  shall 
attempt  two  things.  First,  To  show  wherein  the 
preciousness  of  Christ  consists ;  and,  Secondly,  What 
is  to  be  believed  in  order  for  Christ  to  become  pre- 
cious to  us  as  individuals. 

First ;  Christ  is  precious.  And  why  ?  Because 
He  is  God.  He  is'  one  of  that  Holy  Three  that  bare 
record  in  Heaven — the  second  person  in  the  Trinity 
— and  is  God  over  all  blessed  forevermore. 

To  quote  all  the  Scripture  that  goes  directly  to 
prove  this  fact;  would  far  exceed  my  limits.  I  shall, 
therefore,  only  name  a  few  which  I  consider  right  to 
the  point.  John  i.  1,  "  The  Word  was  with  God, 
and  the  Word  was  God."  John  i.  3,  "All  things 
were  made  by  Him,  and  without  Him  was  not  any- 
thing   made   that  was   made."      Hebrews   i.    6,  last 


188  SEfcMON. 

clause,  "And  let  all  the  angels  of  God  worship 
Him."  It  would  be  idolatry  so  to  do  if  He  is  not 
truly  and  properly  God,  and  in  obeying  God  in  this 
particular  we  should  trangress  the  law. 

Christ  is  precious  because  He  is  the  Son  of  God. 
We  do  not  say  that  Christ  is  his  own  father,  as  some 
pretend  to  say  we  do,  but  we  do  say  that  He  is  the 
Son  of  the  Father,  and  we  say  it  because  the  Bible 
says  it.  Neither  do  we  attempt  to  say  how  these 
things  can  be.  We  are  not  required  to  comprehend 
these  sublime  mysteries.  It  is  enough  for  us  to  know 
that  is  so,  but  we  have  nothing  to  do  with  knowing 
hotv  it  is  so.  He  is  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father, 
full  of  grace  and  truth  —  the  brightness  of  the  Fath-» 
er's  glory  —  the  express  image  of  his  Person  —  al- 
ways doing  his  HeaVenly  Father's  will;  "This  is 
my  beloved  Son,  hear  ye  Him."  Again,  Christ  is 
precious  as  a  man  going  about  doing  good  —  healing 
all  manner  of  diseases  and  sickness  among  the  peo- 
ple—  causing  the  blind  to  see,  the  deaf  to  hear,  the 
lame  to  walk,  the  dumb  to  speak  — sometimes  casting 
out  devils  —  and  even  raising  the  dead  to  life.  Yea, 
precious  is  he  as  a  Mediator  between  God  and  man  ; 
having  two  distinct  natures,  and  being  both  God  and 
man,  He  is  completely  qualified  to  fill  the  mediatorial 
office  and  reconcile  the  world  to  God.  And  this  He 
did  by  fulfilling  the  law — magnifying  it  and  making 
it  honorable  —  and  by  condescending  to  be  made  sin 
for  us,  who  knew  no  sin,  that  we  might  be  made  the 
righteousness  of  God  in  Him.  His  blood  is  precious 
—  has  atoned  for  all  our  race,  and  sprinkled  over  the 
throne  of  grace. 

He  is  precious  in  that  He  is  the  Lamb  of  God, 
that  taketh  away  the  sins,  not  of  the  Jews  only,  but 
the  sins  of  the  world — -opening  a  lawful  door  of  hope 
for  every  repenting,  returning  sinner,  so  that  none 
need  perish  now  who  will  come  to  Christ  that  they 


SERMON.  189 

may  have  Eternal  Life.  He  is  precious  in  all  his 
offices,  as  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King,  as  the  Way, 
the  Truth,  and  the  Life  —  as  the  true  Bread  that 
cometh  down  from  heaven,  whereof  if  a  man  eat  he 
shall  never  die — as  the  true  Vine,  from  which  all  the 
children  of  God  may  draw  sap  and  nourishment  for 
their  souls,  so  that  they  may  bear  much  fruit  to  the 
honor  and  glory  of  God.  He  is  precious  because 
mighty  to  save  to  the  uttermost,  and  because  He  is 
the  Author  of  eternal  salvation  to  all  them  that  obey 
Him  —  as  the  Foundation  of  the  Church  of  God, 
and  as  the  chief  Corner  Stone,  uniting  Jews  and 
Gentiles  in  one  common  brotherhood,  and  bringing 
both  on  to  the  same  savable  grounds,  so  that  peace 
is  now  preached  alike  to  him  that  is  afar  off  and  to 
him  that  is  near,  so  far  as  Jewish  ceremonies  are  con- 
cerned. He  is  altogether  lovely,  and  the  chiefest 
among  ten  thousand.  As  the  apple-tree  is  among 
the  trees  of  the  wood,  so  is  Christ  among  the  sons. 
He  is  precious  as  our  example  of  benevolence  —  be- 
came poor,  that  we  might,  through  his  poverty,  be- 
come rich.  As  an  example  of  non-resistance — "And 
was  led  like  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter,  and  as  a  sheep 
before  her  shearer  is  dumb,  so  he  opened  not  his 
mouth."  I  love  to  dwell  on  His  preciousness,  but 
time  and  space  fail  me.  Angels  dwell  on  this  theme 
with  delight.  They  strike  their  golden  harps  anew, 
and  sing  of  his  preciousness  with  joy  unspeakable 
and  full  of  glory.  I  will  add  four  lines  of  Dr.  Watts's 
beautiful  poetry,  and  then  pass. 

"All  over  glorious  is  my  Lord. 
Must  be  beloved,  and  yet  adored ; 
His  worth,  if  all  the  nations  knew, 
Sure  the  whole  earth  would  love  Him,  too." 

Secondly,  What  we  must  believe  in  order  for 
Christ  to  become  precious  to  us  as  individuals.  First, 
then,  we  must  believe  the  Bible.     That  is,  we  must 


190  SEBMON. 

believe  the  doctrines  taught  in  the  Scriptures  con- 
cerning God,  and  Christ,  and  ourselves  —  that  God 
is  a  Sovereign,  and  will  punish  the  wicked  except 
they  repent — that  we  are  sinners,  lost,  helpless,  un- 
done sinners  —  and  that  we  are  condemned  already 
— and  that  the  wrath  of  God  abides  upon  us — and 
that  we  cannot  help  ourselves  in  the  least,  or  make 
ourselves  any  better  by  anything  we  can  do.  In  a 
word,  we  must  believe  that  for  us  there  is  no  help 
but  in  Christ — that  he  alone  can  do  helpless  sinners 
good.  "  The  whole  need,  not  the  physician,  but  they 
that  are  sick."  "  Christ  came  not  to  call  the  right- 
eous, but  sinners  to  repentance."  And  before  a  sin- 
ner will  feel  his  need  of  Christ,  or  will  come  to  Christ 
for  salvation,  he  must  see  that  all  his  righteousness 
is  worthless,  and  that  unless  the  Saviour  becomes 
his  righteousness  he  has  none  that  will  answer  the 
demands  of  the  Divine  Law. 

When  a  sinner  is  brought  by  the  Holy  Spirit's  in- 
fluence to  see  himself  exceedingly  sinful — in  a  word, 
when  a  sinner  discovers  the  Law  to  be  exceeding 
broad,  extending  to  every  thought,  and  himself  to 
be  carnal,  sold  under  sin,  it  is  then,  and  not  till  then, 
that  he  will  truly  appreciate  the  Saviour ;  aud  he  will 
then  esteem  Him  more  to  be  desired  than  gold  — 
yea,  than  much  fine  gold.  And  believing  on  Him, 
taking  and  receiving  Him  as  He  is  freely  offered  to 
us  in  the  gospel,  and  having  Him  formed  in  the 
heart,  the  hope  of  glory,  the  soul  will  be  filled  with 
joy  inexpressible,  and  peace  that  passeth  all  under- 
standing. 

The  believer  in  Christ  finds  Him  to  be  the  Lord 
our  righteousness  in  very  deed  ;  as  the  prophet  ex- 
presses it,  "  He  shall  be  called  the  Lord  our  Right- 
eousness, or,  as  the  apostle  expresses  it  himself, — 
"Who  of  God  is  made  unto  us  wisdom,  righteous- 
ness, sanctification,    and   redemption  ;  that  according 


S  EKM  ON  .  191 

as  it  is  written,  he  that  glorieth,  let  him  glory  in  the 
Lord." 

Now  Christ  is  everything  to  the  believer.  He  is 
the  believer's  Life,  Hope,  Joy,  Peace,  and  Salvation  ; 
in  him  he  finds  all  the  promises  of  God  to  be  yea  and 
amen.     Glory  to  God. 

How  precious  is  the  name,  brethren,  sin:?, 

How  precious  is  the  name  of  Christ  our  Paschal  Lamb, 

"Who  bore  our  sin  and  shame  on  the  tree. 

Having,  in  short,  spoken  of  the  preciousness  of  the 
Saviour,  and  what  we  must  believe  in  order  for  Him 
to  be  so  to  us,  I  will  try  to  improve  this  subject  by 
persuading  sinners  to  come  to  this  blessed  Saviour, 
who  has  done  and  suffered  so  much  to  save  their  pre- 
cious souls. 

He  who  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with 
God,  made  himself  of  no  reputation,  but  took  on 
Him  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  came  into  this  wick- 
ed world  on  purpose  to  save  sinners.  Oh,  come  then 
to  the  friend  of  sinners  !  He  is  anxious  to  save 
you,  every  one  of  you.  He  pities  you.  Oh,  come  ! 
give  yourself  up  into  his  hands  ;  he  will  wash  all 
your  sins  away,  and  teach  you  how  to  watch  and 
pray,  and  live  rejoicing  every  day.  Do  not  let  the 
wicked  one  persuade  you,  that  it  is  time  enough  yet. 
"  Delays  are  dangerous  ;"  "  Procrastination  is  the 
thief  of  time."  If  the  wicked  one  can  prevail  on 
youth  to  put  off  the  concern  of  the  soul  for  the 
present,  his  object  is  gained — this  is  all  he  cares 
about.  He  knows  if  he  can  keep  you  along  in  this 
way,  and  lead  you  on  step  by  step  to  form  bad  hab- 
its while  you  are  young,  that  they  will  grow  with 
your  growth,  and  strengthen  with  your  strength, 
and  that  he  will  have  you  so  entirely  in  his  power 
that  it  will  be  nearly  impossible  for  you  to  bleak 
away  from  him,  or  to  recover  yourself  out  of  his 
cruel  snare. 


192  S  E  KM  O  N 

The  Saviour  calls  you,  dear  sinner — oh  !  listen  to 
his  sweet,  charming  voice.  Oh  !  hear  him  saying, 
"  Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth  !  come  ye  to  the  wa- 
ters, and  he  that  hath  no  money,  come ;  yea,  come, 
buy  wine  and  milk  w  thout   money  and  without  price." 

Once  more,  before  I  die,  dear  sinner,  as  I  have 
gotton  almost  through  life,  and  almost  through  this 
book,  and  almost  through  this  short  sermon,  oh,  let 
me  once  more,  in  Christ's  stead,  beseech  you  to  let 
all  your  sins  go.  Flee  to  Christ  who  is  the  ark  of 
safety,  and  the  city  of  refuge  for  your  poor  soul. — 
And  let  the  author  of  this  book,  poor  as  it  may  be, 
have  the  unspeakable  pleasure,  if  not  in  this  world, 
in  the  judgment  of  the  great  day,  have  the  amazing 
joy  of  knowing  that  as  far  as  you  are  concerned,  he 
has  not  labored  in  vain,  nor  written  these  pages  in 
vain. 

And,  in  conclusion,  I  will  ask  my  Christian  friends 
especially,  and  also  all  others  into  whose  hands  this 
book  may  chance  to  fall,  in  reading  it,  to  to  remem- 
ber that  the  author  was  seventy-six  years  of  age  when 
he  wrote  it,  and  of  course  had  to  omit  the  insertion 
of  many  incidents  which  wonld  no  doubt  have  been 
highly  interesting  to  the  reader,  for  want  of  recollec- 
tion of  these  events  so  clearly  as  to  render  them  satis- 
factory to  his  own  mind. 

Come,  children,  learn  to  fear  the  Lord  ; 

And  that  your  days  be  long, 
Let  not  a  false  or  spiteful  word 

Be  found  upon  your  tongue. 

Depart  from  mischief,  practice  love, 

Pursue  the  works  of  peace  , 
So  shall  the  Lord  your  way  approve, 

And  set  your  souls  at  ca.-e. 


FINIS 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


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